As Long as There is Hope, There is Life
by CindyVortex88
Summary: Jimmy is fighting off a termial disease, will he live? Or will his disease win the battle? With Cindy and his other friends there beside him, maybe he will be able to over come the emotional, physical and mental obstacles put in front of him.....and maybe


Hey guys ^^ this is a long one.the longest fic I've ever written actually.but bare with me emm? Hehe.. I hope you all like it ^^ ((please excuse small mistakes if there are any.I looked over it about 1,000 times heehee.so if there are any little ones, sue me.hehehe ^^))A small dedication to Libby T. And BIG thank you for Jessie C. for helping me with the first part of this, and a bIg dedication to one of my 2 best friends in the whole wide world Jessica W {where would I be without you Jess? Whoop whoop.hehe, HandJ all the way..hehee} ((oh and by the way, I'm still undecided on the title for this)) Please R/R when your done!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Jimmy Neutron characters ((I wish!!)) or logos, they are all property of Nickelodeon and Viacom International ^^  
  
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***Part 1-Terminal Disease***  
  
Fifteen year old Jimmy should have joined the track team, the way he was running home. Having had detention after school for one of his latest inventions, turning one of the staff members into a dog, Jimmy had missed the bus. And then was lucky enough to find that Cindy had so generously, once again, emptied the fuel from his rockets in his back-pack.  
  
He flicked his hair away from his eyes, sweat rolling down the sides of his forehead. When he finally got home, he skidded to a stop in front of the mail box and looked in, eyes widened desperately.  
  
"Damn!"  
  
The mailbox was empty, Judy had gotten to the letter first. He growled and then turned to head into the house, dropping his back-pack by the front door. He slid into the kitchen and nearly tackled the pile of mail, sliding across the surface of the kitchen table, knocking over random things, such as a flower vase. He remained in that position, laying across the table, as he franticly fumbled though the letters.  
  
Judy stealthily walked into the kitchen, her eyes glued to her son, who was wearing an unhappy mask.  
  
"Hello..honey" she has spoke slowly and attempted smiling, but it came out as nothing but a weak twist of the lip.  
  
Judy had already opened the letter, and read what was inside, finding out the test results and Jimmy's new condition. She had spent most of the afternoon sitting in the living room, desperately trying to think of what they were going to do, them not being a particularly wealthy family and not having excess money to spend on therapy, she was beside herself.  
  
"Mom!!"  
  
He turned around and sat up quickly, accidentally knocking over a glass of orange juice. "Whoops.."  
  
He shook his head and disregarded it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he cocked his head to the left a bit.  
  
"You opened it didn't you?" "It had MY name on it!!!" You promised me you wouldn't open it!" he complied to her, becoming frustrated he was lied to.  
  
"Jimmy...sweetheart, now calm down..I, well, I couldn't wait" she confessed  
  
She didn't want to get him angry, but being his mother, could have never left the letter to rest until he got home.  
  
He sighed and held out his palm.  
  
"Give it to me..."  
  
He then noticed his tone was a tad demanding and he blushed slightly.  
  
" Erm.. please" he added  
  
Judy had the letter in the pocket of her dress, she didn't want him to see it, as if, she would be protecting him if he didn't.  
  
Just then the opening and slamming if the front door was heard. It was then Hugh, he made his appearance, rushing though the front door, not bothering to hang his coat up. He skidded into the kitchen.  
  
"Judy I Came as soon as you called does Jim--.....Jim........my.. know? Eh heh.." His eyes traveled to the table where his son was sitting. "Hi!" He waved with a stupid grin.  
  
Judy looked at him, as if warning him not to say anything about what they had learned yet. "Jimmy.just got home dear" she explained  
  
"Mother please!! Give me the letter!" If you want the truth I already tested myself three times in my own lab!" He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Give it to me.. I want it!" he demanded  
  
Judy was going against her better judgement, and motherly instincts, but she knew he was to smart to be fooled by sugar coated lies and glossed over stories. She reluctantly took the letter out of her pocket and handed it to him with a trembling hand.  
  
He snatched it so quick that Hugh kind of cringed. Jimmy quickly unfolded it. His own tests had proven positive, however he was unable to calculate what he was really looking for. His eyes skimmed down all the way to end the end of the page, he read to himself. Lips uttering words silently.  
  
"Maximum life expectancy....Age 17." He then fell right off the table. I mean BAM, those words hit and he was on the floor. He sat up and rubbed his head, looking at the letter once more, eyes going slightly crossed as he recovered from his fall.  
  
"Ni-I-NETEEN!? THATS IT!?! That's what!.." He was in such a state of shock, he, JIMMY NEUTRON had to count on his fingers from 15 up to 19. " Four years!? ......" His eyes dilated and he didn't' even bother to get up off the floor, his simply leaned against a chair, elbows resting on his knees.  
  
Judy was watching this heart wrenching scene in complete dismay. Her eyes became teary when she saw his reaction. Hugh opened his mouth to speak, but simply exhaled. He couldn't think of a single thing to say that would make much a difference. He put his arm around Judy and just watched Jimmy with mournful eyes. Judy couldn't stand to see him that way.  
  
"Jimmy, we are going to do everything possible.." She was trying to reassure him of what he already must have known. "I...I know this is.." She could barely speak, she just stopped, not wanting to cry like she had the whole day while he was gone.  
  
His brows furrowed slightly as he glared at nothing, chewing on his bottom lip and his fingers drumming on the tile he was sitting on. After a moment or two he stood up, brushed himself off and with letter in hand, casually walked out the front door and towards the back yard. Once he was in his lab he sat in the chair in front of the big screen and cracked his knuckles.  
  
"VOX!"  
  
" Welcome Home Jimmy" His motherly computer greeted him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah Spare me.. Listen.. Uh.. pull up my list of life long goals" He rubbed his temples with exasperation. "Starting with most important to least important" He leaned back in his chair, with a brow raised.  
  
"Accessing Life Goals File" A list from numbered one to ten made it's showing, in capital gleaming green letters appeared the list. Her monotone voice read each and everyone slowly.  
  
1. Find True Love  
  
2. Become a World famous Physicist  
  
3. Invent something that actually works  
  
4. Come in Contact with an Alien Species  
  
5. Do Something Worth Remembering  
  
6. Be Somebody's Hero  
  
7. Be in two places at once  
  
8. Learn to Dance  
  
9. Do something Shakespearean  
  
10. Build Goddard that Female Poodle  
  
"Shakespearean? That's a weird one." His brows furrowed slightly again and he groaned with a sigh. "Eliminate...Two, Four, Six, Eight, nine and.... one..." he added.  
  
" BarK! WooF!" The small metal pup ran up to him happily and put his front paws onto the seat, he stared up at him, eager to see his master. He glanced at the list questionably.  
  
"Goals Number- Two, Four, Six, Eight, Nine and One, Eliminated" she said as they disappeared from the list, it became a list of five from a list of ten, all the remaining goals taking their spots accordingly.  
  
"BlacH?" Goddard questioned Jimmy about the list as he sat patiently by him, noticing he didn't look like he was in a happy mood. Jimmy read the words on the screen over a few times in his head, studying them over and over.  
  
"Invent something that actually works......... Do something worth remembering" His gaze softened, to almost a sad one. "I should hope so!.... Be in two places at once... still haven't figured that out....Build Goddard female poodle.... Yeah I better get to work on that" He leaned back and half-heartedly stroked his dog's head still in deep thought. "Hey Vox.." he questioned for her attention.  
  
"Yes Jimmy?" she answered on Que.  
  
"Move that 'be in two places at once' to number five... Invent something that works to number four....being remembered to number three .. Build Goddard the Female Poodle to number two, and at the top of that list put...Find cure for Leukemia" he added soulfully. VOX fulfilled his request.  
  
"List Activated"  
  
Goddard whimpered and looked at him. Jimmy's eyes darted down to Goddard. "Vox... about how much of that could I get done in four years?" he questioned, almost afraid of the answer.  
  
"Realistic chances are three out of five goals can be attained" "Numbers four, three and two most capable" she responded having no human sympathy, just laying down the facts.  
  
".................Ohh.." He buried his face in his hands, mumbling now. "Is number one even worth the attempt?" he paused a moment "Why am I asking you that.. your a computer.. don't.. answer, I don't want to know the answer" He waved his hand up in protest. She did as he said.  
  
"Woof?" Goddard inquired about Jimmy's sudden change in dreams as he hopped onto his lap and laid down, giving him a slight chill from his icy cold, metal body.  
  
Jimmy leaned back in his chair, one arm dangling over the side, the other stroking Goddard's head. A chill ran up his spine, but it wasn't from Goddard. He didn't look to his dog, but he did acknowledge the question. His eye brows raised slightly. "I only have four years left to live" he spoke emotionlessly  
  
Goddard's head jolted back in surprise. He knew the reason for this, because he was with Jimmy while he did the diagnostic tests on himself, in the confines of his lab. Goddard whimpered with sorrow and nestled his head into Jimmy's chest, not knowing what he could do to help him. He licked his face gently to provide comfort.  
  
"Ruff!" Goddard assured he would be with Jimmy the whole way.  
  
"Thanks Goddard" He lightly shoved the dog off his lap and stood. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked around, just walked. He honestly didn't have a clue on what to do. Mostly he had his mind on number one on his list. His eyes shut tight. "Goddard.. I'm going to ask that you tell absolutely NO ONE about this. Ok?" Goddard nodded vigorously. "Thanks"  
  
***Part 2- I Get By, With a Little Help From My Friends***  
  
The weekend had past, and now Monday has come yet again. Jimmy walked along the halls, books under one arm, a little more than usual. He had a few medical books and research from various institutes he was studying to see if he could find where they went wrong. Still lost in his own thought he ducked into the classroom, and sat at his desk. Of course the second he did, a sharp pain went directly up through his body. His eyes widened and he flew out of the chair.  
  
"YYEEEEEEOOOOCCCCCHHHH!" He reached behind him and pulled a large tack from his pants. His eyes narrowed and he glared in the direction of Cindy and Libby, who were busy giggling in spite of themselves. He collected his books once more and stood up.  
  
"Man Vortex.. if the only thing you can come up with is a tack... no wonder you lost the science fair" He sat back down.  
  
Cindy was sitting at her desk snickering, hiding behind a magazine in front of her face. She placed it down.  
  
"Neutron, why don't you go and play in the cottage with the other dwarves?" Despite their ages Jimmy and Cindy still differed in height, to Cindy's misfortune Jimmy was spurting up while she was slowing coming to the end of her growing, but as of the moment she still stood about an inch taller. And him being one of the shortest kids in class, she still found pleasure in teasing him.  
  
"Laugh it up now Cindy! By the end of the summer you'll be looking up to me!" His mind was blank of his condition for the moment, he was cheery again for the time being. "In more ways than one!" He nodded matter-of- factly and opened his desk, only to get a face full of chocolate pudding.  
  
".................... Emm Hum..." He slammed the desk down and glared at Cindy. "Tu-Shay" She began to laugh again and simply ignored his comment as she gave Libby a high five for their cruel line of pranks.  
  
Ms. Fowl, still their teacher, walked in wearing the same old attire that everyone was accustomed to, she placed a stack of newly graded papers on her desk and sat into her seat. "Good Morning Chhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllddddddrrreenn, it's nice to bWark! see I have a full class today" she squawked. She adjusted her glasses and looked back to her desk, then at Jimmy. "Jimmy no eatiinnnnggg snack in school!" she said  
  
Sheen couldn't help himself, he walked over and wiped some pudding off Jimmy's face and licked it off his hand. "EMM EM!! Only a day old!"  
  
Jimmy raised a brow and leaned over, grabbing Cindy's sweatshirt that was draped over her chair, wiping his face off with it and then throwing it back in her direction. "Sheen that's gross." "I know.. But it's still good!" He gave Jimmy a thumbs up. And then took his seat.  
  
"Sorry Miss Fowl.. I uh skipped breakfast?" He made a weak grin, and the class giggled lightly, at him of course, not with him.  
  
Cindy looked at her sweatshirt, now stained with chocolate, and got fire in her eyes, she despised whenever something happened to her treasured clothes. That she frequently gloated about, because they are bought at all the most fashionable and expensive stores and always the newest and coolest thing. "Sheen! What the hell you stupid idiot!" She especially had a hatred for Sheen's ignorance.  
  
"Geeze bitch! Calm down!!" He glared. "Jimmy had enough to share!!" He stuck his tongue out at her.  
  
Jimmy rolled his eyes and leaned back, not paying attention to anybody, even Miss Fowl as he stuck his nose in one of his medical books. Ms. Fowl stood up with the papers to pass them out. "Bwark! actually.....before I do that.." She put them down. "You are allllll going be taking a pop quiz!" The class groaned in remorse.  
  
"Wha?!" Carl, surprised, spit out four tic-tacs from his mouth, over the years Carl had developed a fetish almost an addiction for tic-tacs, and their six taste bud appealing flavors. He had a pack of them in his hands. "But...we didn't know we were going to be quizzed!" he complained, worrying.  
  
"Hello? That is the 'pop' aspect you moron" Cindy rolled her eyes at him.  
  
Jimmy did not look up from his book. "That's what a pop quiz is Carl" When the Quiz was placed on his desk, he didn't fill a single thing out but his name, and simply wrote 'A+' at the top with Red pen and then handed it back to Miss Fowl, apparently engrossed in his book.  
  
" Wow Jimmy!" Sheen yelled, he was busy writing his name where it said 'date'. "That's the fastest quiz you've ever taken!"  
  
Cindy looked disgusted and if you knew her well enough, almost jealously, at Jimmy while Ms.Fowl took his paper and recorded the grade in her notebook. She sighed knowing it was no point to argue he had to take it, and begrudgingly started her own test.  
  
Carl nervously sat fumbling his pencil and grinding wintergreen tic-tacs as he stared at his paper. Carl's grinding continued for sometime and Cindy became increasing angry. "Oh my god! I can't concentrate!" She turned to Carl. "Carl shut up! God, I can actually hear you getting fatter..." she yelled.  
  
Carl got an offended look but then smiled knowingly. "A lot you know...they are only one and a half calories" he retorted.  
  
Jimmy sighed and put the book down, he noticed Cindy's expression when he didn't have to take the test. He disregarded the comment about Carl, and turned in his desk to face her. He held out his hand, motioning for her to hand him her test. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and stopped for a moment to try and think over what he might be planning, but in spite of herself she handed it to him still with a look of suspicion and curiosity projected on her face.  
  
He shook his head and placed her test on his desk, turning the pencil over he erased all of the wrong answers and replaced them with the right ones, and then continued down, finishing her quiz in about 45 seconds. He switched back to his red pen, put A+ at the top and then handed it back to her. He had done that for the mere reason that he didn't really feel like hearing her bitch today. He turned back to his book, leaning against the chair, he gave a slight yawn. He was emotionally drained, having little or no sleep over the weekend, and to be blunt his entire family was basically in the shits.  
  
She watched his every move, so if he was to try something tricky she could stop him, she tapped her fingers on her desk still with narrowed eyes, and couldn't believe it when he actually finished so quickly. She looked at the test handed back to her and scanned it, realizing after seeing the correct answers, all the ones she had gotten wrong. She got up from her seat to pass it in but before she placed it into the finished pile, she turned around and went back to her desk. She scribbled out all of the answers he had fixed and replaced them with her old ones, even though she wanted the A+ she wasn't about to lose her pride by having her enemy do her a favor, especially in grades, when they competed so fiercely.  
  
"Now I don't owe you anything" She grumbled as she went back to sit down. She sat in her seat and again raised the magazine directly blocking the view of Jimmy and his desk.  
  
In all honesty, his long competition with Cindy over grades meant nothing to him anymore. Neither did his grades really, as he no longer had a life to work towards. He raised both brows as she walked past him. "...Not a thing." He muttered back. He glanced around and then stood to move to the empty seat that was behind Cindy, basically so he could talk without being noticed. He leaned forward to whisper into her ear.  
  
"Hey.. you know at the beginning of the year we had to state what our goals for life were, and you said that you wanted to get a higher GPA and win more academic awards than me in college?" She turned around quickly to snap at him "Yah, so?"  
  
"Well I- " Then they bumped noses when she turned around so fast and he leaned back. "I just wanted to say, congratulations ahead of time" "And I suggest you change your goal to something a little more challenging" He nodded. She blushed slightly but it quickly disappeared after they bumped noses, then she was surprised to hear what he had said. "Huh?" "What are you planning?" She narrowed her eyes slightly.  
  
"From now on Cindy" He pointed a finger to his desk. "Let it be known that I know longer care if your better than me" "It is...so the least thing I have to worry about, it's not even funny" "I can't tell you what I'm planning.. actually I'm not planning it .. it's out of my hands.. but, just to let you know.. you can brag all you want.." "Its not gonna phase me the slightest. I have other things to worry about"  
  
Her face became confused and she shook it slightly. "Wait..what are you talking about?" "Are you moving or something?"  
  
He shook his head. "No.. No I will spend the entire of the rest of my life in Retroville... you can be sure of that" He leaned back in the chair, and only blinked, having little or no expression on his face.  
  
She looked at him trying to figure out what he meant, and opened her mouth. She started to say something else but was interrupted by Ms.Fowl screeching the test was over and she quickly turned around to avoid getting in trouble.  
  
Not needing to be there anymore, he stood and went back to regular seat. "Hey Jimmy!!" Sheen hollered. "What was the answer to number one, nine!?"  
  
"......"He turned to face Sheen. "....The question if I recall was.. 'Why is the ocean blue?'.......how do you figure that being nine?" He raised a brow.  
  
"Soo.....................It was..............................wrong?" Jimmy's eye kind of twitched. "Ah who cares!?" "Carl! Toss me a Tic Tac!" He waved his arms.  
  
"Umm..." Carl looked down and reached into his red and blue jacket he had on his chair and pulled out a stack of boxes and put them on his desk. "You want...orange, lime, spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon, or umm..thats it"  
  
"Pfft! No contest! Orange, Man!!!" He grinned widely and waved his arms. "Just pass me the whole damn thing! You have enough!"  
  
Carl reached for the orange and tossed it over, having horrible aim and accuracy he accident hit Libby in the back of the head and the tic-tacs fell to the floor rolling everywhere and making one of their classmates slip and fall. "Oops! heh..it was Sheen!" He exclaimed quickly and acted innocent.  
  
Libby had been listening to her head phones, eyes closed seemingly peaceful until she got hit in the back of the head "OW! What The Fu- AH!" She screeched and lifted her feet onto her chair as Sheen crawled under her desk, after a run away tic-tac.  
  
"MY CANDIES!!!" He was on the ground immediately, collecting the tic-tacs as they rolled away, not caring they had been on the floor. "Come Back To Sheen!!!"  
  
"Back!! Come Back I say!" Had it had been anyone else, Libby would have been disturbed, but it being Sheen, she simply narrowed her gaze and shook her head.  
  
Hating his idiocy, Cindy grinned evilly and stepped on his hand hard as he reached for a tic-tac. "Oops...sorry" She said with fake empathy and grinned.  
  
Sheen's eyes widened and he sat up, hitting his head underneath her desk. "OUCH!! GAH HEY!! WHAT THE FUCK, CINDY!?" Sheen may have been stupid, but he did know how to get angry. He rolled over on his back and kicked her desk so hard it tipped over right into Jimmy's desk. "Huh? WOAH!" Jimmy didn't even have time to react and no sooner, Cindy was top of him, though it was very uncomfortable as the corner of her desk was digging into his spleen.  
  
"Ahh!" Cindy had let out a squeak as she flew and in a thud landed in Jimmy.  
  
Sheen sat up and surveyed the scene he had just caused. ".....Cooooll"  
  
She opened her eyes and realized she was face to face with Jimmy, she looked around and noticed the class staring at her awkward position and in fluster quickly got up blushing a bit and brushed herself off. "uh....heh"  
  
"Nice one Sheen" Jimmy said with no emotion. Had it had been any other normal day, he would have blushed too, however he simply saw no point in furthering his crush any more. He simply stood up and fixed the desks and grabbed his back-pack. The bell rang and he placed a pair of shades over his eyes, swung his back-pack over his shoulder and left the class.  
  
Sheen stood watching him go. "..... Is it just me.. or does Jimmy seem... awful serious?"  
  
"I...well, he did seem kinda-" Cindy shook her head not wanting to advance any conversation with Sheen. She turned cold again. "Who cares...he's just being his normal weirdo self." "Maybe.." He collected the rest of his tic -tacs and left with Carl. Jimmy hadn't gone far though, was waiting out side the door for Cindy. He had already waved Sheen and Carl off telling them he'd catch up.  
  
Cindy had gathered her things and no sooner than everyone else, she was walking out the door, still thinking about the little tic-tac incident when she walked out into the hall looking at the floor. And bumped into Jimmy yet again, she looked up. "You! Will you watch were your going today!?" She scowled made an extremely annoyed glare.  
  
She headed over to her locker to grab her bag, and then leave, she had said goodbye to Libby because she was walking today.  
  
Jimmy raised a brow. "... Watch where I'm going?" "I wasn't moving I was just standing there. Cindy" He caught up with her, and turned her around, being a guy thank goodness, he was now stronger than she was, and was able to pin her against the lockers. "Cindy if I ever ask you for one favor in my entire life.. this is it. Do you have a minute.. or two?"  
  
"What is with you today!?" She asked annoyed at him and struggled to become free of his grasp. "Let go!" "I'm gonna miss the bus!"  
  
"Please just walk home with me, Cindy I'm begging you." "We could get ice cream on the way home or something" He heightened his bargain with a bribe for ice cream. At her struggle, he did loosen his grip, but didn't take his hands off her shoulders. "Because I mean when I say I really need this favor"  
  
"Why should I do anything for you?" She questioned rudely. She stopped struggling and tried to peer through the dark lenses covering his eyes.  
  
"....That's why its called a favor" A strand of his brown bangs fell over the rims of his sun glasses, but he didn't bother to move it. He sighed, feeling a bit rejected and let her go, with nothing else to say really, as he couldn't force her to do anything. He simply turned and walked down the halls and out the front door.  
  
She watched him leave with a look of sheer confusion, she let her arms dangle by her side as she eyed him, with her head tilted slightly, beholding a narrow gaze. She reached up and adjusted the bag on her shoulders in one small hop, and as fast he left, she was outside looking for him. She raised her hand and rested it atop her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun, and looked left and right, she spotted him and walked quickly behind.  
  
She watched him curiously and then when she felt they were a safe distance from the school, and her on looking peers she walked up next to him.  
  
"Ahem" She cleared her throat to gain his attention. She rolled her eyes a bit because he didn't respond and walked closer to his side. "Well?...what did you want?"  
  
He stopped in his tracks, hearing her approach him from behind and he smiled to himself, he knew she would. That smile disappeared and he turned around to face her, hands in his pockets, a single brow raised and that same strand of his bangs dangling over his sunglasses. Two words. Hot Stuff. ".... Yes?"  
  
"I..well..actually, you wanted to talk about something?" She tried to sound casual, but she could not take her eyes off him, she never really realized how good looking he was, there was a certain aura about him that she couldn't ignore.  
  
"Yes" He raised a hand and scratched his chest, nonchalantly. "I need a favor" He flashed a charming grin.  
  
She looked at him suspiciously, but more friendly than anything else, and couldn't help but let out a small smile of her own when he grinned. "And that favor is?"  
  
His smile faded and his eyes darted from side to side in a nervous fashion, though this was hidden behind his shades. He motioned for her to follow him and they started walking towards the Candy Bar. "Well... I basically need you to lie for me"  
  
"Lie for you?" Her eyes became more narrowed again and her smiled disappeared with his. "Listen up Neutron, if you screwed up with something and need me to bail you out, then the answer is no"  
  
"I didn't screw up on anything.. well not yet. Just hear me out" He walked into the Candy Bar, purposely not holding the door open for her. He slid to a booth in the back, ordered two chocolate shakes and the pointed to the seat across from him. "Sit"  
  
She rolled her eyes, disliking being commanded around like a dog, but didn't complain, she crossed her arms and sat, leaning against the back of the booth. "What is it?"  
  
He took the sun glasses off and leaned forward, his blue eyes nothing but serious. "Look.. I'm going to need you to write a note to get me out of class for the rest of the week" "And then again for Monday of Next week.....and then for Monday and Tuesday for the week after.. and then for Monday Tuesday and Wednesday for the week after that, and so on until the last week you write the last note for the entire week once more" "Does that make sense?" "Don't answer if you will or not.. just, does that make sense?"  
  
She could tell he wasn't fooling around when he started to talk and listened with her eyes still narrowed but they opened up again as he explained his plan "I...I guess" She was again confused by Jimmy. "But why?" " Why...do you need me to do this?"  
  
He sighed. "Because... I'm.. slowly working my way up, to dropping out of school without my parents ever knowing... and until I'm out for good I need you to forge my mother's signature"  
  
"Your what?!" She quickly almost yelled it, and stood up from her seat, she put her hands on the table and looked at him. "Are you crazy?"  
  
"Shhhh!!!" He lifted his hands to calm her down. "Cindy quiet please, Your the only one other than me whose supposed to know about this" "And I need for you to think of some excuse.."  
  
"But..no, I don't understand..why are you doing this?" She was completely caught off guard with this bazaar, and seemingly impossible idea of his.  
  
"And also I hacked into the school computers.. I changed my records... instead of my phone number, I put yours.. so if they call my parents you gotta pose as my mom" "Ok?" He held out his palms together. "I will find a way to repay you for this"  
  
"........but......I don't get it" Her tone became quieter and she looked around the room not knowing what to say or do. She fixed her gaze on him again. "I mean...I get it...but I don't understand why you would ever want to..do this.." She leaned a little closer to him. "Can't you tell me?"  
  
"Emmm.. Why I'm doing what?" "Dropping out of school?" "Well.." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little distraught. "Lets just say I have found something I need to occupy my time with other than school. "And I'm dead if my parents find out" He narrowed his gaze. "I'm dead either way but at least." His eyes bulged slightly as the pun slipped. He changed the subject. "Where is my chocolate shake?" Cindy again took her seat.  
  
She caught his every word. "What?..your dead either way?" She leaned her head in curiously. "Was that meant to scare me or something?"  
  
He actually laughed. "Cindy you'd be throwing a party" "Don't worry about it" The shake came and he leaned back, sighing a bit. "Just.. please don't think about why.. just focus on your task at hand alright?" "And in the mean time.. think of a way for me to repay you.."  
  
"I..okay..I'll help you, and I don't know why I'm doing it either" she confessed, she hadn't really had time to analyze the situation, but Jimmy pushed it on her. She sipped her shake, and looked at it in disgust. "Do you realize how many calories this has?"  
  
"Honestly" He shrugged. "Its never gonna catch up to me" He took a long swig of his. "Just remember if the school calls, your name is Judy Neutron"  
  
"Right.." She took another sip of her shake never taking her eyes off him. "So when do you plan on actually, you know.." She lowered her tone to a whisper, like its something horrible. "Dropping out?" She smiled to herself. "The sooner the better...than I win Valedictorian"  
  
"That last week when you write that last note, your gonna sign me out" He nodded. "And again, congrats ahead of time"  
  
"...oh, okay then" She adjusted to her seat to make herself more comfortable.  
  
He smirked. "Guess your gonna have to actually get a life now and think of something better to do than play pranks on me, I wont be there" "Oh by the way, not a word to anyone" "Not Libby.. not even Sheen and Carl"  
  
"Ha-ha very funny" she replied.  
  
"I mean my parents can't find out or I'm." He closed his eyes, suddenly hating that expression. ".......In deep trouble"  
  
Again she sipped her drink. "Oh, don't worry, my lips are zipped" She moved her hand across her lip to represent a zipper. She kind of liked this idea of getting to be the star of the school again.  
  
"Thanks.. You uh... You can go now.. I.. I don't really wanna go home." He didn't. He couldn't stand to look at his mother's face anymore, she was always so sad, and it made him feel so guilty. "... I think I'll just.. stay here...."  
  
"Um..okay..well I guess I'll, see you around?" She was not really sure, or for that matter really cared, when the next time she saw him would be. She was to overwhelmed with the fact that she was going to be in the limelight again.  
  
She walked to the entrance of the Candy Bar and extended one hand to open the door, still sipping her drink she turned around one last time to wave goodbye, and she saw he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the ground and to her he seemed unusually sad. Almost like he was going to cry, she suddenly felt a reasonless pang of guilt inside and shook her head trying to ignore it as she was exiting the doors.  
  
Jimmy watched Cindy leave and then, though relived that she would take care of covering for him. He still felt the ache in his chest, and he put his head face down on the table, hands running though his hair. His watch beeped, 3 'o clock. First time he wouldn't be home right on time. Hopefully Judy wouldn't notice.  
  
Pudgy Carl bobbled into the Candy bar out of breath after Sheen had blasted through the doors and ran spotting Jimmy, over to the table and slid into the booth, Carl was behind for obvious reasons and he trudged over and sat next to Sheen. "Why do you always have to run?" he asked out of breath. He panted gingerly and made a reach for Jimmy's shake, which he took and removed the cover, gulping down the last of what he had.  
  
"Because Carl!! Its Monday!! And on Monday Sam gets the shipment of the Ultra Lord shaped grape popsicles!!" "THATS WHY!" With that explanation, Sheen got up and ran to the counter, placing down a twenty dollar bill. "Gimmie A Pack Of 50!!" And like every Monday, Sam gave Sheen a box of his Ultra Lord Pops.  
  
Carl shook his head. "Sometimes I worry about him" Jimmy lifted his head and raised a brow at Sheen before turning to Carl  
  
"Uh.. Yeah me to" He made a small smirk.  
  
"So, how come you didn't walk with us today?"  
  
Jimmy rubbed his forehead. "I was walkin with Cindy, Sorry" Here it came, some sort of reaction.  
  
"Haha.." He chuckled. "What was that Jim? I thought you said you walked with Cindy" He snorted.  
  
Jimmy couldn't help but smile at his friend's reaction. "..You heard correctly, Carl" "I walked with Cindy... but it was simply to discuss business, I assure you"  
  
"You mean like....our Cindy? The Cindy in our class, that teases us everyday of our lives?" He raised a brow. "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"..Actually I feel fine" He blinked, in all honesty, he didn't feel like he was sick at all. "It was just eh.." He waved his hand in a circular motion searching for a word, but was cut off when Sheen came over and put the box down in the middle of the table.  
  
"YIPPIE!" He opened the box and held up one of the popcicles. "Oh Bleeding mothers of the world unite!!" He pulled the wrapper off, bowed his head to the frozen juice that was shaped like his hero, and then promptly bit the head off.  
  
"..Uh Sheen.. if you eat that too fast you-" Jimmy tried to warn him.  
  
"Shh!" "Not now Jimmy I'm waiting for the best part... here it comes... YES BRAIN FREEZE!!!!" His eyes went crossed and he twitched. "I love Brain Freezes!!!!!!" Jimmy blinked and looked to Carl with a light shrug.  
  
Carl looked at the pops enviously. "Umm...Sheen?" He asked meekly because he didn't want Sheen to go into a spasm attack. "Can I um...maybe..have one? maybe?"  
  
He blinked and the brain freeze subsided. He kind of glared in Carl's direction. "You had one 3 weeks ago!!" "What?" "I have to give you one every week!?" "Besides." He sighed. "Then I would have to give one to Jimmy and.. I just can't loose two-"  
  
"A-Actually I don't want one.. I had a shake"  
  
Sheen looked apprehensively towards Carl and then reluctantly handed him a Popsicle.  
  
"Yay!" Carl grabbed it happily and started to eat.  
  
Jimmy spaced out a bit and then pointed a finger in Carl's direction. "Your dad's a doctor right?" "Surgeon I'm pretty sure."  
  
"Mhmm..." Carl was licking his Popsicle as he spoke.  
  
"Great..." His eyes glanced upward. "I was thinking if maybe he could let me borrow some medical supplies.. uhm mostly IV's and blood co-"  
  
"Ohh!!" Sheen looked up, his mouth now all purple. "Jimmy's on to something!!" He jumped up and down. Carl pulled the pop down and get an almost worried face. "This has nothing to do with me and a crazy experiment, does it?" Carl asked worried.  
  
"Whatcha experimenting this time, Jim!?!?" Sheen asked excitedly.  
  
"Well.. I-"  
  
"CAN I BE THE TEST SUBJECT!?"  
  
"--YES! Let him do it!" Carl pointed at Sheen.  
  
Jimmy raised a brow kind of appalled. He never understood why Sheen enjoyed pain so much. It was kind of disturbing. None the less. "Uhm Sorry ... I have ta use myself for this one" "So don't worry Carl, your safe"  
  
"Phew" Carl whipped his forehead.  
  
"Aww" Sheen's face fell. "Well save some needles for me Jimmy!!"  
  
"Well, whatcha gonna do?" Carl questioned.  
  
Jimmy looked to Sheen and started to speak."...................... Your- " He stopped short and turned to Carl. "Well its kinda.. top secret"  
  
"Oh Jimmy! Come on!! We're you best friends!!! You not apost to keep secrets from us!" Sheen exclaimed.  
  
"Yah...what he said" Carl answered. He continued licking his pop, his lips were turning a pale shade of lavender.  
  
"Well can I get the stuff or not?" Jimmy asked  
  
"Probably, I have to ask my dad, but I'm sure he'll let you" he answered  
  
"Just any extra medical equipment" "I mean anything.. extra syringes.."  
  
Sheen interrupted. "Are you trying to find a cure for AIDS again!?"  
  
"Uh no.. I gave up on that... I'm actually trying to find a cure for Leukemia" No harm in telling that. Didn't mean he had it.  
  
Carl being completely unaware of things in the medical world as well as the regular world, asked "Ohh...what's Luke's Kemia?" "Is that like a KIA? you know, a car?" He got down to the very last bit of Popsicle and kept turning the stick around so it wouldn't melt off, but right when he was about to lick it, it fell off onto the table and he looked at the melting purple sadly.  
  
Sheen sputtered in again "..Isn't that like, when your skin rots and falls off?"  
  
Jimmy sighed. "No Sheen.. that's Leprosy"  
  
"Oooooh" he replied  
  
"Leukemia is any of various acute or chronic neoplastic diseases of the bone marrow and blood stream, in which unrestrained proliferation of white blood cells occurs, usually accompanied by anemia, impaired blood clotting, and enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen" Jimmy explained  
  
Carl and Sheen stared.  
  
"In English?" Sheen requested.  
  
"Cancer in your blood" he explained  
  
"OoooOOOOoo" Sheen said. "Oh right" agreed Carl. ".I feel bad for people that have that, don't you die from it?" Carl said.  
  
Jimmy cringed. "Yes actually" "You do...quickly"  
  
"Ohh, well that's too bad" He said just brushing it off.  
  
"Well... that's sad" "Lucky we don't know anybody with it!" said Sheen.  
  
"Heh Yeah" Jimmy agreed uncomfortably  
  
"But don't you need somebody who has Leukemia to do the experiment?"  
  
Jimmy's face kind of dropped a few shades. " .Yeah... so?" He looked around nervously. "That's why I can't use you"  
  
"Teh, well who you gonna use then?" Carl questioned  
  
"Uhm... I'm not exactly sure yet" he lied  
  
"I think you should use the lunch lady!" Sheen yelled.  
  
"What!?" Jimmy snapped back in disgust.  
  
"Her skin is sooo wrinkly!!" "Her cheeks are like hanging down near her shoulders!" Sheen said Jimmy smacked his forehead. "That's Leprosy... and she doesn't have Leprosy, she's just old" Sheen stared at Jimmy with one eye, questioningly. "Do you have evidence to support that claim?!"  
  
"Sheen.." Jimmy shook his head. "Never mind.. just.. never mind."  
  
"Yah..Sha-een, quit making dumb comments" "Oh, and, hope you find someone.." Carl said just looking at the candy behind the counter.  
  
"Shouldn't be too hard" Jimmy assured. He checked his watch and decided to turn off his cell phone so his mom wouldn't call him, he was supposed to be home an hour ago. "So Carl.. that stuff would be really great to have ASAP, a'right?"  
  
"Hey look I gotta get home before these things melt" Sheen picked up the box. "See ya" He left carrying the box of melting popcicles.  
  
"See yah Sheen" Carl waved  
  
Jimmy's tension was lifted a bit as Sheen left. Yes, Sheen was one of his best friends, but for some reason, he felt more comfortable around Carl. "Thank goodness" He paused momentarily. "Hey Carl?.... If I tell you something.. will you promise not to tell anybody?" He drummed his fingers on the table in a nervous fashion. "Especially Sheen.. because well.. he'll tell everybody"  
  
"Yah sure Jim, you can trust me, I won't tell no one...is something wrong?" Carl sensed his nervousness.  
  
"Yeah I know I can... Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You wanna know why I really want to find a cure for Leukemia?"  
  
"Sure, how come?" he answered.  
  
He paused another minute and looked down to the side. "I have it"  
  
Carl furrowed his eyebrows. "W-what?" He spoke softly.  
  
Jimmy's eyes shifted back to his best friend. ".. I have Leukemia" He stopped again for a moment. "And I only have four years left to live" He closed his eyes.  
  
Carl took a minute to comprehend Jimmy's words, not being an especially fast person, after about 30 seconds it hit him hard like a baseball. Carl without Jimmy? He couldn't bear to think it, Jimmy was his best friend, and finding out this news now was as bad for him as if Jimmy just dropped dead right that second. "You.....I..." He was at a loss of words. "Jimmy...when did you find this out?" His voice hinted fearful and worry, but it was obvious he cared.  
  
"About a month ago with my own tests. And.. 3 days ago I found out how much... 'time' I have left' He answered.  
  
"...that's awful.." Carl responded. "Are.." He paused a bit. "Are you scared?" he questioned.  
  
Jimmy's eyes widened slightly and he paused. Wow. He had NEVER thought of that. He had been too worked up with what he was gonna do, he didn't even stop to figure out what would happen if he failed. He looked to Carl. "......I...." He shook his head. "I should be huh?" he paused another short moment "I guess I never really thought about it" Then again he waited some more time before he spoke. "I need time to seriously reflect on what I would be missing... and then it isn't a sense of fear.. but more of ...sorrow of all you leave behind"  
  
"Uhh..." Carl didn't want to put any more worry on him than already might be. "Well....you don't have to be...I mean, you always find a way to fix everything........" "You won't leave anything behind.....your gonna be fine" Carl didn't want to admit anything like death to himself, so to refuse those thoughts, he reflected with optimism.  
  
"Yeah..logically" "Not necessarily medically" "This isn't something I'm gonna solve with a mere 45 second brain blast, that's for sure" He smiled at Carl. "Hey..I got a while still...... kinda.. eh.." "Yeah.. uh... Don't tell anybody ok?"  
  
"No..I won't, I promise" Carl made a small friendly, worried smile.  
  
Jimmy smiled back and put his shades back over his eyes, gave Carl two thumbs up, swung his back pack over his shoulder and hopped over the booth. Once he was outside, he jumped up and grinned down the hand railing before landing on the sidewalk once more. He raised both brows looking about, and checked his watch and headed home.  
  
***Part 3- A Trip to The Hospital, A Beat Skipped from the Heart***  
  
About 2 months later, Jimmy had successfully stopped attending school completely, without his parents knowledge and spent 80% of his time in his lab, it was around this time Libby was able to fish out of Cindy that she was covering for him. She was now on Cindy's bed, flipping though her CD's brow raised slightly. "... That isn't a tad fishy to you?" "He's probably planning the destruction of the world!"  
  
"I know...but" Cindy stood in front of her mirror with her brush in hand going through her long golden locks as she spoke. What ran through Cindy's mind was that of a typical teenage girl, it was a mental collage of boys, clothes and school, for the past month her focus hadn't changed from those. But each and everyday she thought a little bit more about Jimmy and what he could be doing.  
  
"...When he asked me, there was just...just something about the look in his eyes...I just couldn't say no" She explained as best she could. Cindy had pretty much enjoyed the time in school without him, no one to show her up, and yet again, she was the one that was complimented for her smarts. But somehow, sometimes, she couldn't stop herself from feeling that she in some way stole something away from him.  
  
"No No, Girl that's fine" Libby sat up. "I don't mind that your helpin him.. I mean.. your not heartless.... but to help him for this long and not have a clue on what the heck he's doing!?" "That is the problem.. you see what I'm sayin'?" She paused in thought and turned off the radio, standing up. "Well I'm curious! 2 days.. so what.. 2 weeks.. eh.. but 2 months?!" "Come on!" "Lets go find out!"  
  
"Libby!" Cindy yelled and then blushed slightly not meaning to be so loud. Her voice attained its regular tone. "Libby, we can't" She let the arm holding the brush dangle, while the other one moved about enhancing her words. "I promised not to tell anyone, if he knew you knew, he'd never trust me again"  
  
Libby looked around. "Who... says we're gonna ask him? Let's just take a peek in his lab.." "...I don't know" Cindy replied cautiously  
  
"Why not!?" "You have a right to know, Cindy!!" "Your bailing for him!!" Libby argued.  
  
"He has security cameras all over that place!" "He'd see us....and if I wanted to know, I would, I just think it must be something important...and private" " ...but." She rolled her eyes a little. "I guess..I could ask him later, if that'll calm you down"  
  
Libby's eyes narrowed. "Cindy how smart are you?" "The security cameras are easy to get around!" "We've done this a million times.. what makes this any different?" "He's not gonna tell you either.. If he hasn't already.."  
  
Cindy sighed. "I know I know..."  
  
Libby paused and jumped hearing sirens REALLY loud. "WHATS THAT!?" She looked out the window and saw the paramedics in front of Jimmy's house.  
  
Cindy followed Libby to the window and her eyes widened. "I don't know!" "Something must have happened!" "I bet he blew himself up..." she added "But lets go!" She ran out of her room and scurried down the stairs, and then outside to Jimmy's lawn. Her eyes searched for a figure of knowledge, she spotted his dad and ran up. "Mr.Neutron what happened?!" "Is everything okay?" Hugh was getting in his car and passed out when the two girls walked up.  
  
Libby followed close behind, but the two girls were stopped short as the back of the van closed and pulled away from the drive way and sped down the street. She blinked and turned to Cindy. "Bikes?"  
  
"Bikes!" Cindy ran back to her garage and hopped on her ten speed. "Come on Libby!"  
  
"I'm coming! I'm coming!!" "Your going too fast!!" "What's the rush!?"  
  
"I don't know I just......I just have this really bad feeling.." She started pedaling down the sidewalk.  
  
Once Cindy and Libby had gotten to the hospital, they sat in the waiting room for about forty-five minutes. Even Libby, who wasn't as close to Jimmy as Cindy was, was getting a little worried. Finally, Hugh and Judy walked out and the doctor led the two girls in. Libby followed behind Cindy, peering over her shoulder.  
  
Cindy walked slowly, and curious as she was, she almost didn't want to walk into the room, she thought maybe if she didn't see what was wrong, it would all go away, like a nightmare, that would just disappear if she woke up. She knew it had to be something serious, otherwise the grave expressions on Hugh and Judy's faces would have been much lighter.  
  
Yeah, he was in the bed- the white sheets ending at his waist, but he was sitting up, awake. Kind of hunched over, one elbow resting on his knee, and his chin in his palm. His eyes were narrowed as if he looked mad about something, or was thinking hard. He was topless, however he had three heart patches across his chest that was hooked up to the heart monitor, and an IV to his right hand. He glanced up at Cindy and his eyes widened. "... what are you doin here?"  
  
She walked to the door and looked behind at Libby, then looked straight and walked onto the room, she entered and her face turned almost unbelieving at the sight of him. "I..I heard the ambulance...what are you doing here?"  
  
"Uh....." He looked around for an excuse. ".... Mishap in the lab. I wasn't paying attention" He nodded. "Careless Mistake, it happens"  
  
"..What's wrong with your hands?" Libby pointed as both of his hands were scabbed with what looked like hundreds of puncture wounds, as he had the past two months been working with his blood. He lifted his hand to look where he had stuck himself so many times but simply shrugged.  
  
"Bee sting" He said simply and blinked.  
  
Libby raised a brow. "What'd you do!?" "Stick your hand in the entire hive!?"  
  
"Uhhhh yep" he said as he gazed the other way to avoid eye contact.  
  
Cindy's eyes narrowed slightly. She motioned for Libby to leave. "Cindy!" She glared slightly, offended on being ushered out, but she left.  
  
After Cindy was sure Libby was out of hearing range, she took a step closer to his bed, still with slightly narrowed eyes. "Are you telling me the truth?"  
  
Libby popped her head back in and whispered to Cindy to check his file that was in the slot on the door, in case he didn't tell her the truth, she then left again.  
  
Jimmy raised a brow, not hearing what Libby said, but turned to Cindy. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"You really actually expect me to believe those where bee stings?" Her tone was hard and a little snappy.  
  
"Ok.. Ok.. a syringe" "Same difference" he replied  
  
She glared unbelievingly " ......no that is not a 'same difference'" She walked over to the door and pulled his file out of the slot, she held it up threateningly. "I'll open it and read it"  
  
"NO!!!!!!!!!!" His eyes widened and stood up out of the bed and lunged forward- of course this caused the patches to rip off, which feels like ripping off duct-tape. "YYYYYYYYEEEEOOOOOOOUCCCCH!! HOLY.. -- GAH!!!"  
  
Cindy cringed and stepped back. He rubbed the red marks on his chest where the patches had been and cringed. "Alright!" He yelled  
  
"Be careful!" She scolded, her tone was caring yet stern.  
  
"Yeah! Yeah" "I've been hearing that for the past 3 months, I don't need to be hearing it from you too!" Angrily, he took the IV out of his hand and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped, shook his hand and then stood, free from being wired to anything. Only in his jeans now. He kept rubbing his chest. "OK.. Give me the file" He held out his hand.  
  
"No.." She placed it behind her back in her hand. "Tell me why you're here" she stated.  
  
"I." He shook his head and rubbed his temples. "Fine whatever" He motioned to the file. "Just read it"  
  
She looked at him and then down to the file, and then flipped open the cover to the first page of his medical records, she skimmed the page with her eyes. Her faced turned white, and she tried to say something but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She finally sputtered out some words. "You....have..Leukemia?!" She yelled.  
  
"Lets just scream it out loud!!!" He bid her a harsh glare.  
  
"Yah!" "You don't keep things like this a secret!" "Why didn't you say anything before!?" She was still yelling.  
  
"Oh God Cindy!!" "SHUT UP!!" He walked over and covered her mouth with his hand. "Shut. Up." "I chose to keep it a secret because I didn't want anybody to make a big deal about it!!" "Alright!?"  
  
"...Get your hands off me!" Her voice was muffled because of his hand.  
  
"So here's the lay down, if you really want to know" "I have only four years left to live" he confessed. "So I would appreciate it... if you made my last fours years as pleasant as possible and didn't torture me anymore?" "OK?" "I don't need it" He took his hand off and sat back down on the bed. Actually, he leaned back and laid on his back, rubbing his eyes with his fingers and thumb.  
  
"You.............." The mad expression immediately disappeared from her face and was replaced by one of sadness. "I........." She blinked. "You........you can't have leukemia" She was in denial. "It's impossible...maybe someone else..but not you"  
  
".. Why not?" He sat up again, elbows on his knees. "I'm human" "Why couldn't I?"  
  
"No....no it's not fair" she said  
  
He laughed. "What's not fair?" "Your competition is backing out of the race" "You should be thrilled"  
  
" .....Do you think I'm that shallow?" she responded  
  
"Honestly......... No" "I.. I wouldn't have asked you to cover for me if I thought you were.. but you sure as hell act like it" he said.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry about that, but you didn't exactly make life peachy for me!"  
  
He glared. "I didn't do anything Cindy!!!" "Is it my fault I'm smarter than everybody else including you!?!" "I didn't show you up on purpose!!" "It was you who forced me into 'competition' well excuse me for living... and it doesn't matter anyway, because soon I won't even be doing that!" he yelled.  
  
She closed her eyes, then opened them again. She swallowed. ".........you know...your impossible, if you didn't brag so much I wouldn't have been competitive in the first place!" "And.....and..just..just.." She couldn't possibly take the fact that he wouldn't be alive. "Just shut up!"  
  
Instead of being shocked and sad, Cindy started letting out her feelings negatively, like she always did by yelling, and no doubt she would regret everything she did later.  
  
"I'm shut up.. Cindy I'm shut up" He sighed and ran his hand though his hair. "So now you know... are you still gonna cover for me?" "... you don't have to.. I've probably asked too much already"  
  
She sighed. "I will... don't worry about it..I will"  
  
"....How do you want to be paid back?" he asked  
  
She shook her head, looking downwards, not at him. "It..doesn't matter anymore"  
  
He raised a brow. "Why wouldn't it?" "Your doing me a favor.. so why can't I do something in return?" He paused. "Erm, I guess the question is, why don't you want anything in return?"  
  
"I don't...need anything.." She looked back up and rubbed her shoulder. "Listen, if you ever..need anything."  
  
" ....Uh.. Like what?" He asked. "Now wait.. wait.." He patted the air with one hand. "This is what I didn't want" He stood back up and walked over to her, his hands in his pockets. "I don't want you to start treating me any different just because I'm sick.. I don't want pitty"  
  
"No..I won't really...I..swear, Neutron, I am the last person you have to worry about that" She didn't mean it. "And I meant...anything...at all really...just remember I'm here.."  
  
He kind of smirked. "You realize you just contradicted yourself?"  
  
She thought about it. "Didn't I tell you to shut up?" And she smirked back.  
  
"But..." He nodded. "Thanks Cindy" "Just remember to keep my parents in the dark on dropping out of school.. and...I guess its no secret now" He paused some moments. "Oh... and don't worry.. I won't feel bad about not being invited to the party"  
  
She started to nod, but then stopped, confused she said. "Huh? party? What are you talking about?"  
  
"The party your gonna have on account of me diein" He answered.  
  
Her eyes became saddened and she didn't really know how to respond, 'does he really think I'm happy about this?' she thought, inside her heart was ripping at the seams. She opened her mouth a little bit. "Even if you were invited....how could you come? You wouldn't be going anyplace except six feet under..heh" She attempted to make a joke, but it didn't exactly sound the way she had planed it in her mind. She shook her head.  
  
He shrugged. "Well Ok.. I'm outa here" "Where's my shirt?" He walked out the door and his mother nearly tackled him with a hugs and kisses. "MOM! I'm fine!! Please!! Argh!!"  
  
"Oh Jimmy honey!! You have no idea how worried I was about you!" His mother was crying and you could tell easily. "Let me hug my baby boy!...wait..what are you doing out of bed?!" she asked exasperated from the day's events.  
  
"Uhm..because I want to be?" he blinked. " Can we go home now? I'm fine. I feel fine!"  
  
"Yes you feel fine but that doesn't mean you are fine" Hugh said, who was standing nearby.  
  
"Jimmy, you know you have to listen to everything the doctors tell you, don't pull the 'I'm a genius, I'm smarter than them' thing..we talked about that"  
  
"Please! I calculated the exact time- " He blinked and looked up as he was doing exactly what his mother was telling him not to. "But I - " His eyes kind of went drowsy. He swayed a bit and then passed out right there.  
  
"I told him" Hugh shook his head. "I told him!"  
  
Judy got a horrified look as all the doctors scrambled to hook her son back up to the IV's and heart monitor. Cindy was just standing there, watching everything happen.  
  
Libby walked up to Cindy, having talked to Hugh, she found out. "Cindy?.. you ok?" She put a hand on her shoulder. Cindy slowly walked out into the Lobby, staring straight ahead, she didn't speak one word, she walked right past Libby, with no real expression on her face, she turned and sat down on one of the chairs.  
  
Libby raised a brow and followed. ".. Are you staying here?"  
  
Cindy rested both of her hands on her knees and then put her chin on her hands, still staring straight ahead, she sat silent. She blinked then nodded.  
  
"Okay well listen.. I will stop by your house on my way home and tell your mom where you are.. ok?.." She patted Cindy's shoulder. "If I were you.. I'd get rid of that crush... and fast" she added.  
  
When Libby said that she felt her heart tear again and she gulped. She nodded and made a small wave. Libby sadly turned and left the hospital.  
  
As soon as she left, Cindy let reality set in and she put her face in her hands and started to sob, first gently then it got louder.  
  
It was then Hugh who came back out of the room and saw Cindy. He raised a brow and sat down next to her. "Aw Cindy..." She sniffed and looked up at him with red puffy eyes. She wiped her eyes with her hand, and tried not to let anymore tears spill out, she leaned back against the seat and bit her lip gently.  
  
".. Uh.." He pondered. "You and Jimmy have been friends since kindergarten, well maybe not friends.. I guess sort of rivals......does he have any idea your crying your eyes out for him right now?" She nodded no and sniffed again.  
  
"And...please.." She cleared her throat. "Don't tell him.....I don't think..he'd understand" She slowly felt more hot tears trickle down her face even though she was trying her hardest to stop them.  
  
"I dunno......So far..everybody that's found out has cried...except for him" "He understands a lot"  
  
".......Jimmy is brave...." Cindy added in between sniffs.  
  
"Brave.. no.." Hugh said. "Smart... understanding.......yes"  
  
"Of course he's brave.....otherwise he wouldn't be able to just sit back and...and accept this the way he is! .....but I guess..that's understanding huh?" She sniffed.  
  
"Exactly. Now your catching on" Hugh said.  
  
"I'm so sorry Mr.Neutron..." she said.  
  
"It's alright Cindy." He said.  
  
"No its not alright....its not fair..this isn't supposed to happen to him, he's smart...and sweet..and caring..maybe to someone else..but not him.." she said.  
  
"You know all he's done is talk about you since 5th grade?" He kind of laughed "Oh the years fly....." He stopped. "... well..I hope they slow down now"  
  
".....he has?" She asked surprised. "I...oh.." She looked to the floor.  
  
"This is the 3rd time we've had to do this, this month, though I've been able to get him to the hospital before he passed all the way out"  
  
'"Really?" She kind of shuddered, a few more tears slid out of her eyes. "That's so horrible"  
  
"He shouldn't be passing out this early" "That's what's making me mad" "He's speeding up the process! And he knows it too!" "He keeps taking his own blood over and over.. I know he's trying to experiment with it.. but he takes too much out at a time"  
  
Her eyes became bigger. "So that's what he's doing." He nodded. "Oh..no..What did I do?" she whispered to herself.  
  
"He's slowly bleeding himself to death......" He sighed. "I'm surprised he still has time for school" Her eyes bulged at the school comment and she quickly thought of something else. "Well...didn't they tell him to stop? Didn't they warn him about the blood?" She had a sense of urgency in her voice. "Doesn't he know what he's doing to himself?"  
  
"Oh yes.. He's very aware of what he's doing" He answered. "Why he continues......." He shook his head again. "I wouldn't know"  
  
"......well he has to stop, there's no question" She said.  
  
"Maybe he'll listen to you.. He doesn't listen to us."  
  
"Where would he get the equipment to do that though?" She thought to herself. "Maybe he will...."  
  
Just then a loud clutter of arguing could be heard coming from Jimmy's room, apparently he was awake again. "No I need to get back to the lab!!" "Hey! That's my shoe! Give it back!" He yelled.  
  
Cindy sighed. "Do...you think I should wait to talk to him?" "He seems a bit....angry"  
  
"... No more than his usual attitude after you beat his score on a quiz" Hugh made a slight smile.  
  
She didn't smile back. "Okay....thank you for talking to me" She walked a few steps, then turned around and went back to him. She hugged him, then walked out of the Lobby and to Jimmy's room again.  
  
She knocked on the door. "Hey...can I come in?" She quickly ducked from a cup he threw.  
  
"Mother!! I'm serious!!" He stood up, but Judy kept pushing him back on the bed. He was hooked up to all those machines again. Cindy stood behind the doorframe.  
  
"James Neutron! You are not going anywhere!" "Now you lay down, and rest!" "Honey I love you, and I only want what's best, now please I am begging you....just cooperate..for once?"  
  
"I'm. Not. Tired!! ......." He groaned and leaned back against the bed, arms crossed. "Ok .. there. In bed. Not moving. Happy now?"  
  
"Yes...." She took one of his arms and turned it over. "Didn't we tell you to stop that nonsense?" Meaning the marks. "Jimmy..I want you to stay in bed, and you are not going anyplace" She picked up his shoes. "Not until the doctors say you can"  
  
"That will be the rest of my short little life!" He sighed. ".Just leave me alone.. please.." He took his hand back. He looked over and saw Cindy. ".... What?.. Are you still doing here?"  
  
Judy sighed herself. "I don't know what to do with you..." She looked to the door, and then walked past Cindy and out of the room.  
  
"PICK OUT MY COFFIN!" Jimmy yelled back to her and rolled his eyes.  
  
Cindy didn't say anything, she just walked in quietly at first, and then she spoke. "I've been sitting out there...I saw you faint"  
  
"She's so spastic, she acts like I'm gonna die tonight" He slowly took off the heart patches. "Yeah.. I've been doing that a lot, happens when you loose a lot of blood" "My mistake was fainting at the dinner table" He shook his head.  
  
"....you aren't supposed to be fainting this early" She said quietly.  
  
"So?" "Listen Cindy." She stopped and listened to what he had to say. "I have been pulling the exact amount of blood needed to experiment on" "I just.. do it.. three times a day instead of once every three months" "That's all." "So Yeah.. I'm gonna pass out due to loss of blood.. but hey. What does it matter?" "The more blood I pull the more chances I have to get the experiment right!!?" "And if I don't get it right.. well I'll die anyway!" He paused. "SO it doesn't matter! and I would rather die due to science than due to this disease!"  
  
"But your going to make yourself die faster!!" She tried to get her point across. "Don't you want to be alive?!" Her voice was desperate.  
  
"Of course I do. .. But....I feel I can get more accomplished this way.." He said.  
  
"You can't do this! What if by losing all this blood, you cut your life by one year!? Is that worth it!?" She yelled.  
  
"Cindy.. Look.." "If I stay on the plan here.... then I only have ...sixteen times to get this experiment right" "If I keep going.. I can redo it over a one hundred times.." He paused. "In the end.. cutting my life by a year isn't gonna make much of a difference" He stopped for a minute. "Plus.." He paused. "I'm not afraid to die" That was nothing more than a BIG fat LIE. Cindy's brows furrowed.  
  
"Jimmy you listen to me, I for one am not going to sit around and watch you slowly, but surely kill yourself............." I know that you may have more chances to test yourself...but is it really worth the chance?" She narrowed her eyes. "And how can you say that your not afraid to die?" She sounded almost disgusted. Her eyes opened again. Her voice became wavery. "Okay Jimmy, maybe you don't care whether or not you die but I do!" One single tear fell from her eyes. "And so do a lot of other people!" She wiped the tear off.  
  
He was kind of awe struck and at first didn't know what to say. Yes, this was true a lot of people did care about him, but he hadn't really thought of them. His chest rose and fell as he slowly pulled off the IV. He chewed on his bottom lip. He'd seen his mother cry over and over, over his condition, and even his father, but he expected them to cry. But seeing Cindy cry, that got him somehow, and for the very first time he was smacked into a reality check on his sickness, and finally his eyes began to water, his voice cracking. "........I..I'm. dying....I'm DIE-ING!" And it wouldn't have mattered if he was in front of the whole school, nothing could have stopped him from sobbing.  
  
Cindy couldn't bear to watch him in pain, and so, started to cry again, but silently, she let the tears fall from her face. She watched him sitting there crying and didn't know how to react. She couldn't make him stop, because there was nothing she could do. She didn't know how to comfort him, and that made her ache inside.  
  
"Your smart Cindy.." After a moment or so, he wiped his eyes and looked up. "What am I gonna do!? What can I.. what should I do?" He paused again. "You've always been there to pull me out of the gutter.."  
  
She just stood there, she was speechless, he was asking her? It was true she was there to get him out of trouble, but not this time. She couldn't ponder up a solitary thing, at least not right then, her mind was as blank as a newly erased chalk board. He was asking her for help, and there was nothing she could give in return. She spoke in a soft heartbroken whisper, and as the tears slid off her face she said. "I..I don't know Jimmy.." She walked to his bedside and placed her hand on top of his, that was about as much help as she could offer to him right then.  
  
His eyes narrowed slightly and he stood up and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him and let her teardrops fall and roll onto his chest, she started making small crying noises she couldn't subside. "I'm sorry..." She sniffed. "Jimmy...don't lose hope okay? You always have hope"  
  
".....That's not true...... I lose hope all the time" He smirked. "You always give it back to me" She kind of smiled and wiped her eyes. Eyes half lidded he smiled back in a charming way. "Thanks for caring so much"  
  
"Jimmy...your going to beat this, I know it, your going to fight this disease and your going to win....you can't lose..............I can't imagine a life without you" She blushed a little, even though this was probably invisible because the redness of her eyes. She knew what she had said, slipped out part of her well hidden secret gently, but she it didn't matter to her right then.  
  
His eyes were dry by now, however, they were now widened at that statement. He did a double take, to shocked at what he heard to blush. "Beg Pardon?"  
  
"......I said..I" The last thing she wanted to do, was have to repeat something she didn't mean to say in the first place. "I couldn't imagine.....a life without you" She looked away embarrassed and now was blushing, so she could feel her cheeks turn hot and redder than before.  
  
Okay, now he was blushing. Yet he didn't take his arms away from her, he was however still ,confused. "....Cindy.." He whispered. "..You hate me.."  
  
"......I never hated you......I just...well" She scratched the back of her neck. "I just said that..." She shook her head. "I don't hate you...a lot more than you might think" She didn't want to say any of this.  
  
He smiled knowingly and let her go. "Whatever you say" He sat back down on the bed. "Well, I feel bad for making my mom... upset.. so I guess I'm crashing here for the night" He sighed. "But alright. I will cut back on the blood"  
  
She kind of smiled. "Thank you"  
  
"No problem"  
  
"Umm..have a goodnights sleep..are you going to be here, you know, tomorrow too? Or are you going to go home?"  
  
"I'm gonna be home!!! I don't care what these losers say"  
  
She raised both brows then lowered them again. "Okay okay...so I'll see yah around" "I should be getting home now.." She glanced at her watch.  
  
"Yeah.." He nodded. "Night Cindy"  
  
"Night Jimmy"  
  
***Part 4- Chemotherapy***  
  
Months passed by and Jimmy was again shrouded in the comforts of his home. He laid nestled beneath his covers as the early morning sunlight tapped at his windows and creeped it's way in through the cracks and crevasses and scattered onto his bed.  
  
As the sun made it's trek westward, the sunbeams slowly glided up from the floorboard to Jimmy's face and danced along his eyelids until they fluttered open. He opened his eyes all the way and raised a hand to block the unyielding sunlight. He sat up in his bed and stretched his limbs, as he stretched them he noticed an ugly bruise on his upper right arm, it was a stranger compared to all the puncture marks from his blood testing. He lowered his brows in confusion as he stared at this not so familiar landmark on his body, he shrugged and assumed his must have banged his arm someplace or another. He rubbed his eyes and folded the covers off of him, he noticed he had a few bruises on his legs as well, that had never been there before. But, since he was more concerned about what was for breakfast, than the condition of his arms and legs, he put his feet to the floor and stood up.  
  
When he rose an over whelming spell of dizziness overtook his body and he wobbled and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he shook his head. "I must have been lying down for too long." He explained to himself. He made his way to the stairs and clumsily stumbled down the first few, he clutched the railing to avoid toppling over. Judy heard the bump and walked into the foyer. She gasped slightly.  
  
"Jimmy!"  
  
He looked at her slightly confused and tightened his grip on the railing. He couldn't see it, because he didn't notice, but his grasp was so tight his knuckles were turning white. He couldn't have realized it, but he was digging his nails into the wood finish. He couldn't stay up, his eyes rolled around in their sockets. He felt woozy. Judy rushed her way over to him and put her hands underneath his underarms and helped him retain balance momentarily. "Jimmy are you alright?" she said not letting him free from her helpful touch.  
  
"I..uh..I'm fine" he replied as he brought his hand to his forehead, he took it off quickly.  
  
"What is it?" she asked and put her hand to his forehead as well. "Oh my goodness.your burning up" He stood by himself and looked at her weakly, he was pale like a ghost. He rubbed his left arm and stopped to look at it when he felt some lumps under his skin. He looked back to his mother. She had apprehension in her eyes. He looked so weak and sickly to her. "Honey, go up and I'll help you get changed.we're going to the hospital again"  
  
He would have argued, his hatred for the hospital ran as strong as ever, but he felt so fatigued and achy, he couldn't have the energy, he tumbled up the stairs and walked into his room.  
  
Jimmy's days where no longer carefree and listless, they were numbered, every coming sunset was resented. Days flowed and changed to nights and his disease slowly but surely ate away his time, minutes turned into hours, hours into days, days in weeks, and weeks into months. After his last visit to the hospital, Jimmy was required to be hospitalized at least twice a month. He had been feeling slightly weaker lately, with frequent headaches and some bone pain, that he was sure to never speak about, or risk panic from his mother. Judy constantly kept watch on him so intensely he often became angry with her. She had noticed he had lost some weight, and to their misfortune had fainted more as time passed.  
  
He could hear the low discussion between his parents and the doctors outside his door slowly come to a closing, as he sat inside his stark white room.  
  
"Now, you see, right now, your son is suffering from anemia, that is an additional blood disease characterized by a decrease in the number of red blood cells, that leads to a state of weakness, or exhaustion.." "The only way to prolong his life is to start treatment immediately" The doctor informed. "To save him, with his particular case, and judging by the number of blast cells and the anemia we'll have to start immediately. The treatment includes three phases, induction of remission, consolidation treatment and bone marrow transplant" he explained  
  
"First Chemotherapy agents are administered every four to six weeks over a period of several months, ranging from one to three years, if the leukemia reappears we must proceed with a second remission induction treatment"  
  
"Thanks to new chemotherapy treatments, induction of remission is highly possible in more than sixty to eighty percent of patients" Judy and Hugh nodded, they were beside themselves. He continued on.  
  
"Despite progress made in the induction, remission typically only last for a few months, that is why two or three more cycles of 'consolidation' chemotherapy is given, to prolong induction remission duration, the over all cure rate with this approach is slightly above twenty percent" Judy and Hugh swallowed hard.  
  
"Then a bone marrow transplant, which is usually given after the first remission, it ensures the best cure rate, with an over sixty percent average" He concluded.  
  
"Isn't there any other way?" Judy asked, she had tears in her eyes.  
  
"No, I'm sorry" "I'm trying my best to find the most up to date research and possibilities" he ensured. They nodded. Hugh had his hand on top of Judy's.  
  
The door handle turned counter clockwise, he saw from his bed. His mother walked in towards him with Hugh and an unfamiliar man close behind, he must be a doctor Jimmy thought. The doctor closed the door behind him while Judy pulled up a chair and sat on his bedside and Hugh stood adjacent from her. Jimmy's was starting to see red and blue dots from staring at his white surroundings so long, he gazed sinisterly at the doctor, who was neatly dressed in his white jacket and then looked to his mother.  
  
"Jimmy...your probably wondering what we were talking about, and well.." She had her hands in her lap, and looked to the doctor and then back to Jimmy, it almost seemed as though she was nervous.  
  
"Ahem" The young looking doctor cleared his throat and walked closer to Jimmy's bed. "Hello Jimmy, it's nice to meet you, I'm Doctor Michael Paige, one of the MD's here to study your case" He extended his hand to shake, Jimmy hesitated and then shook his hand warily. "As you know Jimmy, you have been diagnosed with Acute myeloblastic leukemia, your parents and I have had a lengthy discussion and we think it would be best if you started Chemotherapy treatment immediately" He waited for a response.  
  
Jimmy's mouth had opened slightly and his eyes seemed unbelieving. He throat went dry and his eyes became watery, he wanted to hide his emotions.  
  
"So, I really have leukemia?" he managed to sputter. Words would not exit his mouth.  
  
The doctor nodded definitely. "Yes, you really have leukemia"  
  
When he realized what he was doing he closed his mouth quickly and looked his doctor in the eyes, he nodded, then his gaze seemed to disappear behind the doctor through the wall, through the building, through the sky. He was thinking of anything, something, something other than what was happening. He wanted to be anywhere, anyplace but right there in that town, in that hospital, in that room.  
  
He continued. "Chemotherapy is only the beginning of a process of attempts to save your life, some of the more serious measures being radiation therapy, blood transfusion, or even a bone marrow transplant. If you and your parents choose to go ahead with the Chemo, I recommend that you have it injected Intravenously, This can be given with the usual intravenous catheters"  
  
"In many children, a special device called Port-a-Cath is used. It is made of titanium and plastic, and it is inserted just under the skin of the chest wall. This makes it much easier for the doctor to give the injections..." He stopped for a moment. "I also feel I should tell you now, beforehand what the side effects of the Chemo are.." He got interrupted.  
  
"We don't need to hear that..not now" Judy really didn't want to speak of the side effects, as they might alter Jimmy's view on whether or not to be cooperative with the therapy. But he was not stupid, Jimmy knew what Chemo was, and what would happen to him and his body if that's what he decided. His gaze was still on another, he broke from his trance and looked at his mother.  
  
He asked again, looking at the doctor. "I really have leukemia?" The doctor nodded.  
  
"Mom?" He asked, he voice sounded waver. "May I have some time alone?" he requested after clearing his throat. She nodded and they all left quietly.  
  
***Part 5- Pennies, Pranks and Dinner***  
  
Back in suburbia Cindy and Libby where walking out of school, next to each other as the other kids rushed past them to get to buses and cars, they stood still on the steps.  
  
"So girl, I cannot wait for that shopping sale at DEB today!" "I am gonna by me some fineee clothes there" She smiled at Cindy who looked to the ground. She lost her smile. "What's wrong with you Cindy?" She said with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"I don't know." She answered "I was gonna uh..I was gonna go see Jimmy today, he's at the hospital again..and I just thought it would be nice to visit since I haven't in a while."  
  
Libby raised a hand to protest. "Girl, I can see you feeling bad for him.we all do, but, you haven't been yourself since we found out, come on, smile, I haven't seen you smile in forever, a little shopping will do you some good" Cindy nodded and followed Libby to her house against her will.  
  
Later, when they arrived at the mall it was busy and alive, people where rushing here and there, trying on this and that, returning things they said they liked but changed their minds, and other things. Libby was all smiles, they arrived at her and Cindy's favorite store. She ran to the aisle that sold pants and started scurrying through everything.  
  
"Hey Cindy!" she yelled to get her attention away from her thoughts. "Huh?" she said as she looked over. "Think fast!" She threw a pair of jeans at Cindy's head.  
  
"That's lovely" Cindy's sarcastic, muffled voice sounded while the pair of pants rested on her head. She reached up and took them off.  
  
There were times they could spend hours in just that store alone, that may seem petty and vain, but it was like their club, their hideout, their girl sanctuary. Libby entered and exited the dressing room more times than fruit cake is thrown out at Christmas and modeled her fashions for Cindy, who, unenthusiastically watched.  
  
"Look I'm.....Ms.Fowl!" she stepped out of the dressing room wearing a replica of their former teacher's outfit, and a pair of sunglasses along with her hair quickly fixed to match their educators. Cindy's looked her up and down and a small smile creeped onto her face.  
  
"Where did you find that!?" she laughed, and they laughed together. "Hurry up and take that off before someone sees you and they think I know you" she pushed her back into her room.  
  
They exited the store with two giant bags at each of their sides. "Your such a spaz!" Cindy said giggling as she gently shoved Libby into a man who was walking.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry!" she said as he gave her a dirty look, brushed himself off and started walking away. "You idiot!" Libby giggled too.  
  
"Cindy come here!" She ran up the immense spiral black stairs, with granite steps that led to the upper level of the mall, Cindy followed behind. She kept going until they came to the middle of the upper floor, she stopped at the barrier that kept you from falling down a story and smashing into ground. She hung over the edge and looked down.  
  
"Remember?" she said with a grin. Cindy came up beside her and gave her a questioning glance. "Pennies?..You don't remember?" She held out a hand full of pennies. Cindy grinned back and took a penny from her hand and dropped it onto the first level, it hit someone on the head and they laughed.  
  
She reached into her pocket and grabbed a half dollar she had brought from home for lunch, she ran into the nearest CVS and bought some super glue. She opened the tube and applied super glue to the bottom of the half dollar and pressed it to the floor next to her. She and Libby then sat on the bench nearest them and watched and counted how many people tried to pick up the half dollar. They giggled and laughed at their girlish pranks. Libby was glad to see Cindy having some fun.  
  
They took the town bus system back to their street and parted their separate ways.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow" said Libby  
  
"Okay bye" Cindy waved, Libby waved back and one of the bags of clothes, that she had in her hand opened and articles of clothing fell onto someone's newly cut lawn. "Could you be any more clumsy?" Cindy giggled. She helped her pick up what fell out and started to walk home.  
  
She opened her front door and swung her purse onto the stair's railing. "Mom!" "I'm home!" she bellowed throughout her house.  
  
She ran upstairs, her feet pounding the steps like a horse hoofing the dry desert ground, with her bags gangling along side her like saddlebags. When she opened the door to her pink reverie of a room she threw them into her closet. She walked to her computer table and moved the mouse to check her e- mail as her eyes shot from one icon to another on the screen. She clicked and waited while it loaded and happened to shift her gaze outside, it fell on Jimmy's window. A sad face over took her happy one and she let her hand slide off the mouse as she looked, his room was dark, the lights were out, and there wasn't even the faint glow from his computer screen. Whenever his room was like this, she knew he wasn't home. She sadly looked back to her computer and carried on with her business.  
  
A few hours later she sat, still clicking away when her mother yelled down for dinner. She closed the applications that where opened and hopped down the stairs into her dining room. She slid into her seat.  
  
"What's for dinner?" she asked. Cindy grew and became mature, she was becoming a most beautiful young lady but to her parents she was always little Cindy, their sweet little girl.  
  
"Spaghetti" Her mother placed their dishes down and started handing out her portion on her plate. "So darling, how was school today?" She asked as she took her seat and neatly placed her napkin on her lap.  
  
"It was okay....I guess..." She answered as she sprinkled grated cheese atop her meal.  
  
Cindy's father joined them, and he and her mother started talking about his long business day. Cindy drifted into her own little world of thoughts, they buzzed around in her mind like hornets. She leaned her head against her fist while resting her elbow on the table, her fork dangling loosely in her fingers.  
  
"Cindy?..Cindy?" he mother tried to snap her out of her daydream. "Huh?" Cindy cocked her head up gently, returning to reality, and lifted her eyes to her mother.  
  
"My goodness dear, you haven't touched your meal, why aren't you eating? She questioned.  
  
"She's not hungry Rhonda" her father replied for her.  
  
"She's a growing woman she has to be hungry" she retorted "Now eat" she commanded Cindy. Her mother focused her attention back onto her father and began to talk, Cindy sighed gently and moved her food around with her fork.  
  
"Cindy, doesn't one of your friends...a boy in your school, he lives across the street I think, he has leukemia, right?"  
  
Cindy quickly nodded, she was interested in whatever he was going to say.  
  
"Yes I know.the poor dear, Jimmy is his name" Her mother said while cutting her food.  
  
She anxiously looked to her mother but back to her father. "Yah? What about him?"  
  
"Nothing" He took a bite of his food, chewed and swallowed it. "I talked to Hugh early today.they say all this treatment is costing them a bundle, he's in the hospital again, starting Chemo too" Cindy's face fell again as she looked to her plate.  
  
"Chemo?" she uttered silently.  
  
"Well.the good thing is, he isn't around causing mischief like he use to be..always wrecking things and getting the town into trouble" "Wrecking my lawn too..with his robots and whatnot, it's better off he's someplace he can't cause trouble" "What a screw up kid he must be.." He took another bite of his food. Cindy's temper flared and she stood up quickly and smashed her utensils to the table. Her parents looked at her surprised.  
  
"How dare you say that!" she exclaimed.  
  
Her father looked to her mother, Cindy's eyes never left her fathers face. "Sit down Cindy" her mother said.  
  
"No I won't, how dare you say those things, sure, he made a few mistakes.but you don't even know him, don't brand him as a trouble maker! And he is not a screw up! Who do you think you are talking about him like that?" Her voice was piercing and angry. She was even surprised by this sudden flood of emotion, but there was no turning back now, she stared hard and stood her ground.  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Sit down Cindy, I'm you father that's who I am, and I want to enjoy this meal, oh, and I just wanted to tell you, you can't go to the hospital to visit him anymore"  
  
"What? why?"  
  
"Because it's unhealthy"  
  
"I'm not sitting, not with anyone who talks like that.anybody who thinks like that is the screw up" She rambled off.  
  
"Young lady take your seat" her mother's tone was a bit harsher.  
  
"No. you two are sitting there.just talking..talking! Just talking so calmly.like it's everyday news or something that he's dying and your teasing him! How can you do that? You two are repulsive, I can't believe you would say things like that, your disgusting" Her face reflected the words she spoke.  
  
"Cynthia Anne Vortex! What has gotten into you? Go up to your room and think about the things you've said, and I don't want to hear another word about it" Rhonda stated, with motherly authority. Cindy sighed and stomped up the stairs.  
  
She sighed and flopped onto her bed and took a stuffed animal and hugged it as she looked at her ceiling. The sky got darker and it turned to night, she reached over and turned out her lamp and curled up on top of her bed, with her clothes still on, and hair still up, and fell asleep.  
  
***Part 6- Some Hairy News***  
  
The rain fell down like teardrops outside. The sky was gray and lonely, as the dark clouds rumbled Jimmy sat silently in his hospital bed. He made a small yawn and looked outside. It was a dreary day. He smashed his fist on the button that would call the nurse. His mother made her appearance as she quietly opened the door and then shut it again. "Good Morning sweetie" she said with a smile, she walked up to his bed and kissed his cheek. "I brought you what you asked for" She placed a bag beside his bed. He looked to the bag, acknowledging it, and then scratched the back of his neck and yawned again.  
  
"I need to take a shower"  
  
"Alright honey, I'm going to visit Granny today...You know I really don't have to, I'll stay here, I know you nee-"  
  
"No no no" he interrupted shaking his head from side to side gently "I told you to go and visit your mother, have a nice time, tell her I say hello" "And no more protest, your going"  
  
She sighed. "....If your sure" This scene was comical to him, he thought to himself in his mind, he was commanding his mother and she was listening.  
  
"I'm sure" "Bye mom, bring me back something expensive from Seattle" he smiled "Maybe some nice weather" he said while glancing out the window.  
  
"There is no nice weather in Seattle" She smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "Your father is going to visit you, and you have my number, you know where I'm staying..and I'll call you three times a day to check up, and.."  
  
"And don't worry, I've already informed the national guard that your leaving, so they can fly a helicopter over the hospital every few hours so they can make sure it didn't burn down or anything" he chuckled.  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "Listen to the doctors..don't do anything your not supposed to"  
  
"Mom, I'll be fine" "But I wanna get outta this plaaaaaaaaccceee...when am I gonna get to go home?" he whined.  
  
"Maybe you'll be home by the time I come back" He rolled his eyes. "Now don't be a poor sport about it, this-"  
  
"Is for my own good, I know, I know" he said slightly annoyed.  
  
"I'll be back soon"  
  
"Okay bye mom"  
  
"And I'll send you a postcard"  
  
"Okay bye mom"  
  
"And I'll call"  
  
"Okay!.Bye mom" She smiled a little and kissed his cheek again, she made a small wave and then left the room.  
  
He watched her figure pass the room and disappear behind the wall. He uncovered himself and got out of bed, he stretched and scratched his hide quarters as he walked to the bathroom. He walked in and flicked on the light switch and rubbed his eyes as he watched himself in the mirror. He walked to the toilet and flipped the seat up, and stood and completed his business.  
  
He went back to the sink to wash his hands and dry them off, when he was finished with that he licked his thumb and smoothed out his left eyebrow that was all frizzy from his slumber position on the bed that the hospital proprietors deemed 'comfortable'.  
  
He lifted his hands and they hovered around his face as he gazed into the mirror, he moved one into his hair to smooth it out and did the same with the other. When he pulled back his hand a clump of his hair was wedged in between his fingers.  
  
"What the?!" he looked at his hand and dropped the hair by the sink, his eyes widened. He bent his head down to view it in the mirror. The mirror revealed a bald spot where his hair used to be. His eyes got wider. He ran his hand through his hair again and pulled out more hair, it didn't hurt him, it slid out easily. He stood in front of the mirror holding two big clumps of hair in his hands, and two hairless spots on his head.  
  
"What the hell?!" He threw the hair out of his hands and barged out into the main hall way, where people where being wheeled around and nurses and doctors where scurrying about.  
  
"Where's Doctor Paige!?" He demanded loudly. He looked like a monster that just crawled out of its cave in the morning with missing hair and a croaking morning voice. A nurse looked over to him that wasn't busy, the others looked to him for a moment but then returned to their previous tasks.  
  
"Your name is Jimmy right?" "What's wrong?" she said and she gently took him to the door of his room again, she bent down to be eye level with him.  
  
"Look!" He pulled out another clump of his hair and shoved it close to her face. "That's what's wrong!"  
  
She moved her head back and took a small step backwards. "Calm down, I'll get the doctor for you, you shouldn't be out here, you should be in bed, now return to your room" She opened his door and pushed him it.  
  
"Argh! No!" He turned around. "I want to see Doctor Paige now!"  
  
"I'll see what I can do, I'll go look for him right now" she nodded.  
  
He glared. "Fine" He closed the door loudly and walked back into his bathroom. "My hair...." He pulled out another small clump. "All my hair...." he continued to utter the same phrase until the doctor walked into his room and looked around for him.  
  
"Jimmy? Are you in here?" Jimmy turned around when he heard his voice and walked out of the bathroom.  
  
"Oh, there you are.and it's so dark in here, why not turn on the lights?" He flicked on the switch and the room instantly brightened. "What's the problem? One of the nurses came looking for me and said one of my patients was angry, she said it was you and I came as soon as I could"  
  
Jimmy just looked at him for a minute. "Look at my head!" he said in frustration.  
  
The doctor walked over, he was not tall, average height for a man, about 5" 10. He had slicked back, black hair and dark brown eyes, he seemed to be partly from Arabic decent. "What I see is not uncommon" he responded casually.  
  
"What do you mean not uncommon!?" "My hair is falling out!" He said exasperated.  
  
"That is a typical side affect of the type of Chemotherapy you are in the process of undertaking" He explained.  
  
Jimmy blinked and closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He should have known that. "You mean...a-all my hair, is..is..going to fall out?" he asked afraid of the answer.  
  
"It depends" he said. Jimmy opened his eyes and sighed. "What is this from?" he asked another question, lifting up his sleeve and showing the bruise on his arm. "I have more on my legs..."  
  
"Easy bruising and is a condition of leukemia as well" He stared at him and waved his hand.  
  
"You can leave now.." He said quiet and meekly while turning around and walking towards his bed. He got under the covers again and pulled the covers up over his head and waited until the doctor had left. When he heard the door click shut he uncovered himself and sat up. He clenched his fists together and tensed up and then released his anger. "I...I..argh."  
  
He sighed again and fell back onto his pillows and closed his eyes. He opened them and leaned over his bed and grabbed the bag his mother had brought. He pulled out his laptop and opened a file and began busily typing away hypotheses and formulas.  
  
***Part 7- Retroville Razors***  
  
"Come along dear" Rhonda said as she pushed her cart of groceries along the aisle. Cindy trudged behind. Rhonda reached for a can of tomato's when she accidentally collided into another person. "Oh, do watch where you are going Sir"  
  
"Sorry" he mumbled back.  
  
"Hugh? Is that you?" she questioned after looking at him for a moment. He turned to her. His face was unshaved, and his hair messy, his clothes looked gruff and worn. "Oh you poor thing.what's wrong?" She said as she scurried up beside him.  
  
"Nothing" he replied simply.  
  
"Where's Judy?" she asked.  
  
"Away.she went to her mother's last week..she needed a break..from..all this, you know" he seemed emotionless.  
  
"Is..um, everything alright at home? Is Jimmy okay? You know your always welcome at our house" She lied, but seeing him looking this helpless she couldn't help but feel the need to be caring and nurturing. Cindy watched from a distance as she pretended to look at can labels.  
  
"Jimbo's still in the hospital" He said reaching for a bag of chips. He didn't look to her.  
  
"Oh that's terrible..after all this time too, a few weeks hasn't it been since he arrived there?" "I thought he'd be able to go home by now"  
  
"A month actually.and yah..me too" He pushed his cart farther down the aisle and Rhonda followed.  
  
"How is Jimmy? Is he holding up alright?" she asked.  
  
"No actually....he's quite depressed..after his hair started falling out..well that kinda blew him hard"  
  
"Oh that's awful"  
  
"Yah..well seeya" He said while turning the corner and waving.  
  
Rhonda drove her cart closer to Cindy. "Imagine how that must feel" she said while she shook her head.  
  
"What?" Cindy asked as she held onto the edge of the carriage.  
  
"Just everything their family is going through" She answered as she lifted her items out of the cart and onto the conveyor belt at the register. She paid and walked outside with their groceries in the carriage. Cindy helped load them into the trunk and then they got into the car.  
  
"Poor Jimmy must be at wits end" She said as she pulled the car out. Cindy was silent and looked out the window, as the sun glared into her eyes, she watched the scenery pass. They got to their house, the groceries where carried inside and then put away.  
  
Cindy went up to her room and saw Jimmy's light off and sighed. She skipped dinner and came down later in the night, her parents where in their room watching television. She was in her pink, plaid flannel pajama bottoms, with her fluffy fuchsia slippers and her spaghetti strap pajama top that read 'Key West' with a little smiling crab on it.  
  
Her hair was up in a low messy bun and she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice and a glass and placed them both on the counter top. She snapped the cover of the juice and twisted it off. As she poured, she spied two tickets resting near her stove. She furrowed her brows and picked up her glass and took a sip as she opened the fridge and put the juice away. She walked to the stove and picked the tickets up to see what they were for. Her eyes got bigger and she pulled the glass away from her mouth and put it down on the counter. She walked quickly into her parent's room with the tickets in hand.  
  
"You got tickets to the Retroville Razors!?"  
  
"Oh" her father sat up in the bed and turned on a lamp. "I got them at work, I didn't know you were a fan of basketball"  
  
"Are you kidding me dad?" "These are tickets to the playoffs! Of course I want to go" a smile started to cross her face.  
  
"Well..I was going to give them back to my friends at work..buuuttttt..if you reallyyyyyy want them, I guess you and I could go" He smiled.  
  
"Ah! Thank you!" She went up and hugged him. "I can't believe it! These tickets have been sold out for weeks!" She was still smiling.  
  
"Maybe, she would like to take Libby instead dear" Rhonda suggested.  
  
"Well.."  
  
"She would have more fun with a friend" "Cindy, you may take Libby if you want"  
  
"Okay" she smiled again.  
  
"Goodnight" She went back into her room holding the tickets. She jumped onto her bed and picked up the phone. She pressed Libby's speed dial button and faced the window. The phone on at Libby's started to ring. Cindy looked up to Jimmy's window still dark, but now more shadow filled because of the night. She looked again at the tickets in her hand and back to the window.  
  
"Hmm." The person on the other line picked up the phone and was saying hello but Cindy stayed quiet as she was thinking.  
  
"Umm.wrong number" she said and hung up the phone. She placed the tickets onto her nightstand and picked up a book in a red leather binding she had been reading.  
  
~~~~~  
  
It was last period and all the students in Retroville Middle School where eagerly awaiting the bell to ring. They had five minutes left of class and their teacher had completed her lesson for the day, she instructed them to start their homework assignments and started to grade some papers. Obviously, no one did. They all started to talk to their friends, they had their backpacks by their chairs so when the bell rang, they could all book it out of school.  
  
"Are those?" Nick said to himself as he looked to Cindy from his seat in the back row, she was talking to Libby, while still sitting in her seat. What he saw was the top of her tickets, gently peaking out from her open backpack. He stood up and brushed himself off, he cracked his knuckles and smoothed out his hair and told his friends he'd be right back. He walked up to Cindy's bag and snatched them out. "Woah!" He held them up as if they were divine.  
  
She turned around and her eyes fled to what he was holding. She stood up. "Hey! Nick give those back" She reached for them but he held them higher out of her reach.  
  
"How on earth did you get Retroville Razor tickets?" he asked. The class looked to him, and faces of jealously crossed some.  
  
"My dad, now hand them over" she held out her arm.  
  
"Yah yah..one sec..so..ahh..you have two" He smiled charmingly. "Who you takin?"  
  
She looked to Libby who had a hopeful smile. "Umm.a friend of mine"  
  
"If you'd like, you could be so honored as to be graced with my presence" he smiled again.  
  
She gave him a look. "Nice try you snake, now hand them over"  
  
He frowned and put them back onto her desk. They sat there so humbly, the whole class looked like a bunch of lions ready to pounce and snatch the unearthly prey that sat on her desk. She put them back in her bag quickly and zipped it shut. The bell rang and they all exited the room in a hurry, Cindy was first and she walked faster then normal to get to the door. Libby caught up with her.  
  
"Hey girl! What's wrong? That's unbelievable you got those tickets! Man my dad's gonna throw a tizy when he finds out I'm going" She smiled as they both walked outside.  
  
"Uhh..heh..that's the thing..umm.." she stopped walking and faced her and scratched the back of her neck. "The thing is..uh.your um..not going.heh"  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked and raised an eyebrow. "Who else are you gonna take?" She asked cruelly.  
  
"Come on.don't be mad" She begged.  
  
"I ain't mad..just tell me who you think would have more fun than us two, tell me who your takin" She placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"I was thinking...Well, I was thinking of taking..Jimmy.." She said quietly. She prepared herself for what was coming next.  
  
Libby's mouth kind of hung open. "But you don't even know Jimmy" she pleaded. "Plus, I'm your best friend" she said stubbornly.  
  
"And that's why you shouldn't be getting mad about this,...I thought you'd understand and not make a big deal out of it"  
  
"You haven't even seen Jimmy in months" She added  
  
"That's more of a reason to go with him.to see how he's doing, don't you think he gets lonely being by himself all day long?" Her tone was a bit snappy.  
  
"Oh, and your little miss good Samaritan now? Since when do you care whether or not someone is lonely, especially Jimmy?" Her tone was snappy too, but she could see the look on Cindy's face, she didn't want to fight with her. Libby could tell Cindy had a reason for this. She sighed. "I'm sorry Cindy, I think you should take Jimmy"  
  
"Are you sure?" "...Because I'll take you if you really want to go"  
  
"No" she smiled "I'm sure" She started to walk again beside Cindy. "Plus..you should spend all the time with him you can." she added.  
  
Cindy looked the other way for a minute and then turned back to Libby and nodded. "Yah." her voice cracked.  
  
"Aww Cin..you still don't.umm..you know" She changed her voice to a whisper. "You still don't like him do you?" Cindy nodded unsure. "Oh Cindy...I thought you said you stopped a while ago?" "You had better get rid of whatever feelings you have now, or you're going to be sorry" she warned.  
  
"I know, I know.." her voice was quiet. "I'm going to.don't worry" They had gotten to the street when they parted and Libby waved goodbye. She put her hand to her face in the shape of a telephone and mouthed the words 'call me' to Cindy as she went into her house.  
  
Cindy looked to her feet which were steadily moving, systematically one by one and kicked a lonely pebble that stood bravely by itself into some nearby brush. She got to her house and dropped her bag by the front door. "Mom!" "I'm going out!"  
  
"Okay dear.where are you going?" she asked from her room.  
  
She decided to tell the truth, if her mother refused she would just sneak out later. "Uhh.to.the hospital" she said, unsure of what her mother's reaction would be.  
  
"Oh" Rhonda stepped out of her bedroom and into the hallway so she could see Cindy. "Is something wrong?" her tone was a bit worried.  
  
"No, no nothings wrong..with me"  
  
"Than who?"  
  
"..Jimmy" "Now I know what your gonna say.visiting the hospital is depressing and unhealthy.but mom seriously that is a load of sh-..uh..bul- ..um..crap"  
  
Her mother raised a brow. She brushed her hands off. "Actually I was going to say that, that would be a good idea" Cindy smiled. "It seems like their family needs some cheering up" "Go ahead, be back by dark"  
  
Cindy left the house and got onto a bus at the nearest bus stop. It came to a creaky halt in front of her, the large vehicle made the air around it stench of toxic fumes. She stepped onto it and sat down beside nobody and watched the trees outside until she reached the hospital.  
  
That day was unusually sunny and the white concrete of the hospital reflected the light and made it glow. She walked up the stairs and into the lobby that had nurses, and people waiting all about. She decided to find his room by herself and surprise him. But as she neared the directory she found the hospital was a lot larger then she thought and went back to ask a receptionist.  
  
"Excuse me?" She requested. The woman looked to her.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked.  
  
"Yes..uh..can you tell me where Jimmy Neutron is" "I'm here to visit him" "That's N, e, u, t, r, o, n"  
  
The woman typed his name into her computer, then looked back to her. "Is there an adult with you?" "Your parents?" she questioned.  
  
"No, I'm here alone, I'm his.uuhh friend?" she said unsure. The woman didn't notice.  
  
The lady nodded. "Room 856 B, that's on the Eleventh floor honey, you might want to take the stairs, the elevators have been acting up lately"  
  
"Thanks" Cindy turned around and walked to the stairs, she looked up them and then decided to take her chances with the elevators.  
  
She stepped onto it and waited as the other passengers entered. She pressed the button for floor number 11 and sighed when the other elevator passengers all pressed a different number, that preceded eleven. When the elevator finally came to her floor she rushed out. It was claustrophobic in there. She walked along the quiet halls until she found a wing that was busy with medical staff and entered the door. She walked down that hall ,looking out of place with her jeans and three quarter length pink top, with her sweatshirt zipped over it. She found his room and gently rapped against the door.  
  
Jimmy was sitting up in his bed and his eyes crossed when he heard the knock. Over the past few months he had been in contact with people he had never even heard of, Great Aunts and Uncles, Second cousins twice removed, distant relatives from all over, they had all come to think they were his closest friend, not that he disliked them. It just bothered him that they would come without announcement of any sort. Sometimes he just wanted to be alone, to be able to sleep or work, but then he'd have to put up with entertaining a visitor. But what bothered him even more was, that some of his very best friends, Sheen and Carl, hadn't even come to visit once. He sighed.  
  
"Come in" He didn't close the laptop he had in front of him.  
  
Cindy smiled from hearing his familiar voice and opened the door.  
  
Jimmy's eyes widened. "Cindy!" He looked around for something to cover his receding hair, but nothing was available so he blushed and sunk slightly into the bed. "W-what are you doing here?" he questioned, he tried to make his tone sound casual.  
  
She was surprised at the way he looked, and it reflected off her face, he looked different from when she'd seen him last. Now he seemed a bit thinner, his skin was paler, and he looked weaker. His hair was missing in spots and matted in others.  
  
"I came to visit you" she managed to say. She reminded herself that if she showed hostility for what he appeared like, she might make him uncomfortable, so she tried as best she could to picture him as looking perfectly fine.  
  
"Oh?.." He raised an eyebrow and looked down to his laptop screen, he shut it and looked back to her. "Why?" he questioned.  
  
"Because I.wanted to see how you were doing"  
  
"How do you think I'm doing?" "I've been stuck in this friggin hospital for a god damn month" he complained. "Erhm.sorry" "uhh.thanks, for being concerned.I guess" he shrugged. "Now you don't have a guilty conscience anymore, you can go now"  
  
"Huh? I'm not going anyplace Neutron, why would I?" she said  
  
"That's what all the others did, all my relatives, they came to visit poor Jimmy in the hospital and then they felt like they did there part and disappeared backstage again" He shook his head disapprovingly. "You can go to now"  
  
"I'm sure that's not the reason they came.."  
  
"Well, you don't know anything" he said rather meanly  
  
"I hope you don't treat all your visitors this way, otherwise there won't be anymore" she said. He rolled his eyes.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" she asked  
  
"Nothing, nothing is wrong.just leave me alone okay?"  
  
"Aren't you homesick?" she asked  
  
He looked at her "Yah...yah I am.I want to go home..I hate being here, and I know your wondering" He pointed to his hair. "It's because of the chemo"  
  
"I couldn't tell the difference from what it usually looks like" She giggled and he smiled.  
  
"So why are you really here? Need help with your geometry? You were always the worst at math"  
  
"Shut up" she shook her head. "Well I guess if your gonna be a loser.then your not going to know why I came.and looks like I'm just gonna go now.bye bye" She opened the door and started to walk out, she went into the hall and let the door click behind her.  
  
Jimmy got anxious, he didn't want to let her go. "Cindy wait!" he called after her from his bed. There was no answer. He sighed and his face fell. "Stupid stupid stupid.." He scolded himself and sighed again.  
  
The door opened again. "Just kidding" she giggled as she came back in and shut the door. He smiled.  
  
"I thought you really left for a second"  
  
"I know" she grinned. "Well..the reason I came was because" She pulled the two tickets from her zip-up sweatshirt from her pocket. "I happen to have an extra" She cleared her throat elegantly. "An extra third row ticket, for the Retroville Razor playoff games" She grinned again and looked at him. She held the tickets between her middle and index finger of her left hand as she spoke and when she stopped she dangled them in the air.  
  
"So? You got tickets and you came here to rub it in my face?" his look was questioning.  
  
"No" she giggled. "You know me better than I thought.but anyways" she smiled. "I came here to invite you with me" "Do you wanna come?"  
  
"Hah, there is no reason that's the reason"  
  
"That made sense"  
  
"Shut up.but theres no way, your serious? Because if there is some cruel joke involved I don't want to be a part of it, understand?"  
  
"No joke"  
  
"No joke?" She nodded. He almost didn't want to believe her, then he might get hurt, or she might say something mean to him. He was hesitant. "Well...okay if your..sure"  
  
"Okay good" "I'll pick you up at around 6? It's not until next week though"  
  
"Yah sounds good..hopefully I'll be outta this hell hole by then"  
  
"Is it really that bad?..being here I mean?" He raised both eyebrows.  
  
"Let me tell you a little bit about it" He went off to tell her about his days in the hospital while she listened intently. He liked being able to do the talking for once, and to say what he thought, the doctors never let him do that. Cindy was seated next to him and he explained this and that, telling her his different theories and whatnot. He stopped and let her tell him about how things have been, how school is and what's changed. She told him about her parents and how they have gotten to her lately, she revealed things about herself she hadn't to anyone else. She felt so comfortable when she was with him. She looked to the clock.  
  
"Woah! It's eight thirty eight.I was supposed to be home a while ago"  
  
"Well then you better get goin, don't want you getting in trouble with Daddy on account of me" he snickered.  
  
She gave him a look. "Your such a dork" "Well, I should go..um..bye" She made for the door and waved to him, she took a step out.  
  
"Cindy" he said. She peaked her head back in.  
  
"Yah?"  
  
"Um..erhm..." He looked nervous but then eased up "Come back again okay?" he had a hopeful tone.  
  
"Okay" she smiled.  
  
"And don't wait another few months either" he smiled  
  
"I won't, goodnight Jimmy"  
  
"Night Cin"  
  
Cindy smiled as she left the hospital, she didn't know why but she felt so happy. Maybe it was because she had done something good in inviting him to the game, maybe it was because she felt benevolent for spending the afternoon with him. Or maybe, it was because she actually enjoyed spending that time with him. Whatever it was she didn't know, but she walked to the nearest city bus stop and entered the bus that was bright white with lights on the inside, she sat down on one of the dirty blue seats and looked around, now weary of the passengers. Luckily she sat solitarily, and the only other rider was an elderly woman seated in the front. The bus stopped in front of her house and she walked in the front door to see her father sitting in the kitchen and her mother walking about.  
  
***Part 8- Trouble With Daddy and Mommy***  
  
He saw her and walked over. "Cindy where have you been? It's nine o' clock" "You were supposed to be home hours ago"  
  
"Dad I..I just lost track of time" she rambled trying to explain herself  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
"I was..uh.." she looked to her mother who looked away from her. She sighed. "I was at the hospital"  
  
"What? Why?" "Did someone hurt you?"  
  
"No..no Dad, I'm fine I..well I went to see Jimmy"  
  
"That is no excuse for being so late, your grounded for two weeks missy, no going out of the house"  
  
"But Daaaaaaaaaaaaddddddd!" she wailed  
  
"No but Dad's, I don't want this happening again, you could get hurt alone in the city at night, now go upstairs"  
  
"Why are you always so difficult? You're not fair!" "I tried to do something good by going and seeing him and then you punish me"  
  
"I'm not the one who is acting difficult lately, you are" "Now go upstairs"  
  
"Hmfp!" "Fine!" she stomped up the stairs.  
  
The next week went by slowly, Cindy's father kept a watchful eye on her, and she was lonely upstairs, she called Libby for entertainment, but she felt bad in someway for not going to see Jimmy, she promised she would but she never showed up. What if he thought she just didn't want to go? She hoped he didn't and looked at her clock. It read six forty three.  
  
She had already eaten dinner and her mother went out, her father was in his office making phone calls. She pondered. She walked to her radio and turned it up, she shut her door and locked it. She had to get out of her room, she was a kid, she wasn't supposed to be cooped up like some bird in a cage.  
  
She began to realize what Jimmy must have been feeling, like a bird in a cage. No way out, no space to fly, no one to see and no place to go. She shook her head and walked over to her window and opened it up a crack, then all the way. She looked to the ground, then backed away from her window.  
  
It was a lot higher up then she thought. But despite the height she crawled out of it backwards, moving her foot to find a steady place to step and held onto a first floor window, from there she jumped down. She looked into the house to make sure her father was still there. Yup. He was still on the phone. She walked to the bus stop.  
  
Jimmy's mom had returned home and as she promised she brought gifts and hugs from his Granny.  
  
***Part 9- Visiting Hours***  
  
Jimmy yawned as he looked out his eighth floor window. People were driving their cars, and walking down the street, and living, and here he was. Trapped like a rat in a stark white hospital room. The window made a reflection of his appearance and he furrowed his eyebrows and stepped back from it. He had convinced his doctor, to let him wear jeans and a T-shirt. He refused to dress in one of those hideous hospital gowns. He would have rather done anything else. "What was the use of dropping out of school if I never have anytime at home anyway?" He mumbled to himself. He opened his door and walked out into the hallway. He walked down and despite the nurses calling after him he didn't care but kept walking, he grabbed a baseball cap and wore it backwards on his head and collided into a certain blonde.  
  
"Oops I'm sorry miss" he reached his hand down to help her up  
  
She didn't look at him "Why don't you watch where your going?" she snapped and got up without his help. She started to walk again.  
  
He shrugged and continued to walk himself until they both realized who was who and turned around and saw each other. She walked up to him.  
  
"Hey you came back"  
  
She didn't bother to exchange pleasantries. "What are you doing out of bed?"  
  
"I'm walking, I can't stay in that room forever you know"  
  
"Yah but..you shouldn't"  
  
He shrugged. "So, why are you hear?" he questioned grinning. "Maybe because you wanted to spend some time with a fabulously handsome" He cleared his throat. "Intelligent, charming guy" he grinned again and bounced his eyebrows up and down.  
  
She smirked. "You wish" and she shoved him gently.  
  
"Come on" he started to walk and she followed.  
  
"You know that basketball game is this Friday right?" she questioned.  
  
He nodded. "Your going to be okay to go out then?" she asked.  
  
"You better believe it! If I have to spend another day in this place I'm going to crack...plus I have to get back to my lab, I have to do some things..before it's.umm..well, I can't waste my time here lets say"  
  
She saw the bruise on his arm. "What's that from" she made a disgusted face.  
  
He looked to see what she was looking at. "Oh" he frowned and tugged his shirt sleeve over it. "I hit my arm on a table"  
  
"Uh.huh.."  
  
A few more weeks passed, Jimmy got to return home, and he and Cindy had an incredible time at the basketball game.  
  
***Part 10- A Walk in the Park***  
  
Jimmy and Cindy had somehow grown closer to each other. But with him back at home, everything seemed right again. No one was in the hospital, everything is okay. Jimmy again buried himself in the confines of his laboratory and his endless search to find a cure for his disease, he was fighting a battle and Time was in his opponent's favor. Even though he has promised to stop with his blood testing many times he never actually did, but with the endless nagging of Goddard he did lessen it up, quite a bit.  
  
Side by side they worked. Man and man's best friend, looking for one thing that would save his life. Jimmy was obsessed with working, Judy had to force him to have meals, he wouldn't time out for anything, even when he was exhausted he still always wanted to complete that one last little bit of whatever it was he was working on. But despite all the time he worked, he tried to find time to spend with his friends, Carl and Sheen came over frequently, but one person he saw surprisingly often, was Cindy. He had never imagined actually enjoying time he spent with her, but after he was able to penetrate through her hard exterior shell, he seemed to enjoy the time he spent with her more and more.  
  
He would tell her about different things and she'd say what she thought about it, and why she thought he was wrong. And she'd ask him questions, and say, why that shouldn't be that way. She had a lot to say, she just needed somebody to listen. He found her fascinating, she had so much spunk, so much spice, so much Moxie. Who ever knew Cindy Vortex could be this cool?  
  
The two of them walked, side by side down the side walk, Cindy was licking an ice cream cone while Jimmy explained how the artificial chemical substitutes in ice cream where hazardous to her health. She licked away and ignored him. They never really 'went out' per say, just as friends, as good friends. Did Cindy tell her school buddies about this friendship with Jimmy? Nooooo way Jose. That would ruin her oh-so-perfect reputation. So for her, they had a secret friendship, for him, he didn't realize what they had was secret, he thought she was finally turning out to be normal after all these years.  
  
"This is good ice cream" she said in-between licks.  
  
He nodded. "You want some?" she held it to his face. He had his hands in his pocket and wore a baseball cap backwards over his head. He made a face and shook his head.  
  
"No way, and get Cindy cooties?" he joked. Cooties where a big thing for him when he was young, he was determined to find proof they existed, girls had something guys didn't he concluded, other than the physical difference obviously. But he could never place it, what was it about them that made them so, so, weird? He figured it out, all girls where confusing. They were all the same, all the girls he'd ever met. They would scream, and do nails and laugh and talk. But he could never figure out what they meant when they talked, they were just confusing.  
  
But as he watched Cindy laugh and move and giggle and talk he found that there was some different spark she contained, some spark that never died and kept lit up, maybe that was it? But no other girl he knew had it. He shook his head, getting lost in his own thoughts was a treacherous journey.  
  
"Cooties huh?" she smirked and liked the ice cream again. They had just entered the park. Little kids were running around nearby playing baseball, their squeals and yells could be heard all around and they giggled and yelled as homeruns where hit. School would be ending soon and this sound of playful children would be heard much more often. The park was a vibrant green, it was as lime as Dublin on Saint Patrick's day. The birds chirped their songs and the flowers were colorful. Cindy had about had enough of her ice cream cone and she tipped it slightly and what was left dripped all over Jimmy's shoe.  
  
"Oops...sorry" she made a fake apology and giggled and ran a little bit ahead.  
  
He looked down and both smirked and grinned and chased after her. He could not run for long, he was supposed to avoid all sports that included pushing or hard contact. Of course he ignored this, and played basketball and football with his friends, although they were careful with him, sometimes he got annoyed that they wouldn't play their best when he was part of the game. She made a girlish squeal as he caught up to her and grabbed her waist and pulled her back.  
  
"Your not getting away that easy" he said into her ear as she struggled to get away.  
  
"Let go!" she giggled and slapped his hand, he released her and she gasped.  
  
"What?" he asked  
  
"Swings!" she announced and ran though some brush and into an old abandoned playground, she touched the seat of the wooden swing to make sure it was sturdy and then sat down. He raised a brow and followed her.  
  
He chuckled. "You look a little big"  
  
She smirked and started to swing along, not making much progress.  
  
"What's wrong with you today? Your all giddy.." He asked as he came to the side of the swing, and looked down at her as he leaned against the pole.  
  
"Nothing..." He walked behind her and gave her a gentle push, he pushed her again lightly and kept it up so she could swing. She turned around and smiled at him, he wasn't expecting this gesture of kindness and faltered when he went to push her and missed the rope. She turned back around and looked into the trees.  
  
"Jimmy?" she said after a few minutes. The gentle wafting breeze blew through her hair and through the trees, they whispered and gossiped as the wind blew through their branches and full busts of leaves. The soft aroma of her hair filled the air behind him and he enjoyed the way she smelled.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Do you believe in God?"  
  
"I uhh.." He paused, not being a question he expected her to ask, he pondered a moment, then answered her. "No, I'm Atheist"  
  
"Oh."  
  
He kind of stopped her swinging a little bit. "Why?" he asked.  
  
"I was just wondering...why are you Atheist?" She questioned.  
  
He gave her another push. "Because.there is too much scientific evidence supporting the fact that a higher life form does not exist. Evolution, not Creation. It is undoubtedly easier to grasp the fact that humans evolved from apes or Chimpanzees isn't it? There is more proof of that than of a God just creating us, just plopping us here to figure things out. Give me proof, hard core fact and evidence about a God and I'll believe you, until then..well" He shrugged.  
  
"Not everything can be explained" she added  
  
"Yeah I guess so." he continued pushing her.  
  
"That's what faith is for.believing in things you don't understand.I mean, everything happens for a reason.there's no way we could just be here alone.just some cosmic accident"  
  
"I see what your saying Cin, but it still doesn't make sense to me"  
  
"But how can it not? I mean, what are we? If there is no God that means there is nothing more to the human being than the flesh and blood..don't you believe you have a soul? There has to be more to us than what meets the eye don't you think? And if theres not..where do we go once we die?" "I mean, if there is no God, what happens to us? We can't be destined to just whither away in the ground...." Jimmy stopped pushing her. "Don't' you think Jimmy?" She waited a few seconds. "Jimmy?" she asked again and turned around, he had walked back to a large oak tree and leaned against it facing the sideways. She hopped off the swing and went over to him.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned.  
  
"Uhh..no, I just didn't feel like pushing anymore...come on" He started walking towards the concrete path again, she walked behind him and once they got onto it she walked by his side.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked again and looked to him while they walked. He didn't answer her, and looked straight ahead, but kept walking steadily beside her. She still had her face of concern but looked away from him and ahead again. Abruptly he stopped walking, he stuck his hand out very closely to her face. She stopped just quick enough to avoid being poked in the eye. "What do you see?" he asked  
  
"Uhh..an arm?" she guessed the obvious and looked to him.  
  
He shook his head. He reached for her hand and pulled it to his, he lowered his arm and placed her hand on top of it, he moved her hand back and forth rubbing his skin.  
  
"Eww.what is that?" she said attempting to pull her hand away. He removed his arm and let her.  
  
"Those are clumps of Leukemic cells, they gathered together underneath my skin inside my blood stream and formed bumps" He swallowed.  
  
Cindy's arm tingled. She didn't say anything. In all the times they had talked, surprisingly never once, had either one of them spoke of his sickness. It was like BoOm. Back to reality. Yes, he is sick, and yes he's in trouble. She shook her head. It was like neither of them wanted to talk about it. They both wanted it to be just a bad dream. But it wasn't, it was a dreaded reality.  
  
"I'm sorry.." She said  
  
"....Don't be" he said after a moments hesitation.  
  
She reached again for his arm, and held it close, like it was her own, she rested her hand on top. "Does it hurt you?"  
  
"No...not really" he looked down to her. She was looking up at him with those magnificent green eyes. Those apple green eyes, that were so deep and mysterious, they shimmered and shined and opened wide and narrowed small. They were full of lust, full of hate, full of envy and yet so incredibly soft and gentle, it was like you could sink into the infinite oasis of green haze and stay there forever. Those eyes, they were so beautiful, so kind and gentle, so magic. So Cindy.  
  
They stayed there for a moment, or maybe it was a minute, just looking into each others eyes. When they did, it was like they got lost in each other. They were lost and looking for treasure without a map, and when they gazed into each others eyes, its like they uncovered a mountain of gold. Jimmy broke their trance and looked downward causing Cindy to do the same, she released his arm and they started to walk again.  
  
He decided to change the subject. "Have you noticed I'm taller than you?" he grinned. "I hate to say I told you so...wait, no I don't. I told you so"  
  
"Nah-uh" she disagreed  
  
"Wanna bet?" he asked "Stand back to back" She agreed and they both stood, backs touching, they both measured and Jimmy was two to three inches taller. "Hah! Three inches and inclining Vortex" he smirked.  
  
"No way!" Her face was shocked  
  
"Yes way!" he chuckled "So comes the day when the mighty Cindy, has fallen" "Now I get to call you shorty, squirt, shrimp, and make all those short jokes and cracks about you!" She looked defeated. She pouted and crossed her arms. He lightened up. "Aww..don't worry Cin, I would never tease you...no matter how much you deserve some major pay back, I wouldn't do it, and anybody who did would feel the wrath of Jimmy" he mocked her and grinned.  
  
She raised and eyebrow and giggled. "You? Have a wrath?" "That's the funniest thing I ever heard, what are you gonna do?"  
  
"Oh" He raised both brows. "So you think there is no wrath of Jimmy? Try a semi-atomic five caliber military laser, a hypno-ray, and a shock prod, courtesy of the Yolkians...or perhaps Ms.Vortex would like to be zapped back to the Triassic age? Then you could hang out with your cousin, the Tyrannosaurus Rex" He snickered. She stopped walking and raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips and let her jaw open a little bit, she was holding back a smile.  
  
Jimmy stopped too and looked her up and down. "You know, you do resemble the T-Rex in a great deal too" He snickered again.  
  
"You jerk!" She laughed and shoved him gently. Her gentle, playful, shove knocked him off balance in light of his condition, and she grabbed him before he fell over. She helped him steady himself.  
  
"I'm sorry are you okay?"  
  
"Yah yah.I'm fine" he pushed her hands off of him and brushed himself off. "But.." He cleared his throat. "...thanks"  
  
She let a small smile creep across her face. It had started to get darker out and the night sky was forming, the cloudless sky looked astonishing as the rays of sunlight glimmered over the horizon, turning the sky a palette of purples and oranges. It was like an artist swiped his paintbrush into the sky, and made a masterpiece out of that glamorous scene.  
  
They both were walking slowly now, the park was large and they were getting tired.  
  
"Do you wanna see something neat?" Jimmy asked quietly with his head down. She looked to him.  
  
"Sure, what?" she asked.  
  
"Follow me" He walked into the woods and past many trees, he passed a small stream and stepped over twigs and fallen leaves and all of the paraphernalia the forest carelessly dropped onto the ground. Eventually, they came to a large grassy hill, which was in a giant clearing, with no trees surrounding it.  
  
"Okay, come here" He walked up to the hill, it took a minute but he managed to climb it, despite it's steepness. When Cindy offered him help, he refused, he needed to prove he could do it, to other people and to himself, without that pride he would have felt hopeless. But, it was pride that would be his downfall. She followed him and raced up the hill.  
  
"Yah what is it?" she looked at him waiting for this specialty he had promised. The sky had fallen dark by now, the crickets of summer where chirping their songs and the fireflies buzzed about.  
  
"Look up Cindy" He said simply, like it was obvious and she was foolish to be confused. She looked up into the sky and she was completely dazzled, she gasped.  
  
"I've never seen anything so beautiful" She was awe struck. Her eyes twinkled like the stars, as their light reflected off of them.  
  
His gaze was locked on her. "Neither have I" The sky was so clear, and so amazing from that spot. The stars shined like giant bulbs and the moon was big and bright and completely dazzling.  
  
"Wow......" After a while she turned to him, he was still staring at her and he blushed and looked away quickly. She kind of smiled. "How did you find out about this place?" she asked still amazed at the view. "It's so incredible...it never ends"  
  
"Heh, I'm glad you like it..well I used to study the stars here..when I was younger" he rubbed his shoulder and looked down ".I come out here every once in a while.to gather my thoughts.it's like my own little hideaway" She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back. "Look over there" He pointed into the sky. "Do you see that kind of yellowish.orangey star?" She nodded. "That's Venus"  
  
"Wow." she was still smiling. She looked at him again and sat down on the grassy hill top. She motioned for him to sit too. He did. The beauty of the sky hypnotized her, she looked into it like it were the last thing she'd ever see, then she would be blind, but that faint, wondrous memory of that dark starry sky would always be hers.  
  
Jimmy had a twisted smile on, he would look up to the sky occasionally, but mostly he was looking at her. The moonlight reflected off her body and made her shimmer, it made her yellow blonde hair look an eye candy white and her green eyes shone magnificently.  
  
Was this the Cindy he knew? How could she be so beautiful? He was amazed. He pulled his gaze away from her and looked into the sky, the next time he retreated to her, she was the one looking at him, he was a bit surprised but her gentle face didn't quickly look away.  
  
She staid looking at him, she had a faint smile on, it was one he could see more through her eyes than her lips, and he looked back at her, smiling just the same. This was perfection. Jimmy and Cindy. Alone. At last. She leaned in towards him, and he leaned in the same, they slowly moved towards each other like gravity or they had a magnetic force pulling them together, they were about a few inches apart when Cindy backed off. Jimmy looked down, slightly embarrassed and did the same.  
  
"Heh" she sputtered and looked back into the sky as her salvation. He looked up too. He couldn't understand whether he was happy, or disappointed. He shook his head gently, dismissing the thoughts. He felt something different around her, he wondered what it was, but as of the moment that feeling was gone, gone with that would-have-been kiss, like the wind. It seemed like that feeling teased him, coming and going as it pleased, and it would never stay long enough for him to figure out what it was. She spoke to break the awkward silence and he looked to her like he would to anyone else.  
  
"Why can't everything be like this?" She asked  
  
He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Calm, peaceful...no pain.no hurt." "Like this, like this night" She took a deep breath and the summer air intoxicated her. "It even smells nice " "It seems so.right.why can't everything always be right?"  
  
"..I wouldn't know" he rubbed his hand along the bumps formulating on his arm. The night time sounds would gradually appear, chirping crickets first, then some frogs, there would be bustling in the brush, and then even an owl, quietly, subtlety, hooting it's call. He yawned.  
  
"We should go " he announced to Cindy.  
  
She was a part of that scene, leaving would being like taking an old man away from his chess table in the park. She looked over. "Oh.yah" she nodded and he stood up. He offered his hand for assistance but she did it alone. They scampered down the hill, Cindy making it first and waiting patiently for him to lead the way. She knew the way back, she had a very good memory, but all the same she followed him. Walking the streets at night was like going to an amusement park on Christmas, it seemed like everything was yours, there was no one around to bother you, no one yelling. They came to their street and where on Cindy's side of the sidewalk. They looked at each other again.  
  
"Thank you for showing me that" she smiled. "It helped me clear my mind."  
  
"No problem,.." "Ahem" "It was uhh...nice to um..talk to you" he said unsurely.  
  
She giggled. "Why so formal?" "I'll see you tomorrow" she smiled.  
  
"Yah..okay" he smiled back.  
  
"Okay good" she turned and started walking back. He slapped his forehead. "Shoot shoot." he muttered to himself. "Cindy" he called after her.  
  
"Yah?" she turned around, she was halfway up her walk.  
  
"I can't do tomorrow...I have some uhh.business to attend to"  
  
She furrowed her brows momentarily. "Like, at the hospital?"  
  
"Uhh.yah, at the hospital" "And I'd..like to hang around the lab a bit tomorrow."  
  
"Well okay....I'll see you around then?" this confused her slightly. But he was always mildly secrete about everything he did, so she didn't want to assume anything. He'd tell her what he did later, she decided.  
  
"Definitely" He said. She nodded and turned back around, she got to her steps and faced him.  
  
"Wish me luck" she grimaced. "I'm gonna need it" it was late, and she was going to be in trouble with her parents, she opened the door uneasily and forced herself to enter, the yelling already started. She faced him again and shrugged as she shut the door.  
  
"Hah, Good Luck" he chuckled and then put his hands into his pockets. He looked at her door and sighed and walked back to his. Time for another fun filled lecture on why you 'shouldn'tgooutaloneatnightespeciallysincesomethingmighthappentoyou'. He entered his house to find both his parents on the couch, the second he walked in he was being fluttered with kisses from his mother, she then stood back.  
  
"Where on Earth where you?" she was angry.  
  
"Umm.out." "With Cindy" he added  
  
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked impatiently.  
  
"Umm.nope sorry" he held up his hand. "My watch needs new batteries"  
  
She sighed and shook her head. "You cannot just stay out until eleven thirty at night, your only one person with a very serious condition, if something was to happen to you.I.I..don't know what I'd do" she said frustrated.  
  
"Mom, I'm okay, look" he instructed. "Living, breathing, fine.. calm down" he explained  
  
"No I will not calm down, you're my son and I can worry about you all I want"  
  
He sighed. "And that's another thing, will you quit treating me like I'm some glass china doll?!" he yelled it almost angrily. He cleared his throat. "Sorry..but..I can't understand you, look, I'm fine, I'm here, I know your worried about me, but I can take care of myself..you treat me like I'm four years old!" he stated.  
  
"I treat you the way a mother treats her sick son"  
  
"And that's another thing...quit calling me 'sick' you make me sound like an ill cow or something.. and I told you, I'm fine!" "Argh! Your always worrying, Jimmy this and Jimmy that, you never let me do anything! You can't keep me on a leash forever" he said exasperatedly.  
  
"Jimmy, I'm not doing anything that I shouldn't be doing, you have to understand, you were always good at seeing other people's perspectives dear" she said.  
  
"Yah well..this time you try and see mine" he said, he glared slightly and that surprised her. His tone was a bit cold. "I'm going upstairs..and I don't need anything.and I'm fine" "So don't come up..I don't need it" he said and went upstairs. Judy sighed and sat next to Hugh who watched the scene, he rubbed her shoulder as they both got lost in the perfect world of television, where there was always a happy ending.  
  
***Part 11- It's Getting Hot in Here***  
  
Jimmy went into his room and turned on the light, he shut the door and the shade. He was rather frustrated, not so much angry, and not so much helpless, a little bit of both. He undressed in front of the mirror and for the first time he noticed how his body had changed. He gulped. His arms and legs were scattered with bruises, his skin looked pale and felt a tiny bit course and dry as he rubbed his arm with the bumps. He could tell he was a tiny bit thinner. He stood in his boxers, as they were what he wore for pajama bottoms and hesitantly took off his hat. His hair was messy and snarled, or what was left of it. Some places where bald and slick, others where at a halfway point, he sighed.  
  
"Who am I?" he asked quietly as he looked into the mirror. Was this really Jimmy Neutron? Was this really him? He didn't know. He couldn't tell. They boy in the mirror was a stranger, yet a friend, and he couldn't decide what to make of him. He slipped an old shirt over his head, and shook it gently as he dismissed the portrait of himself, and put his dirty clothes away in his hamper that was in his closet. He shut the closet door and opened the shade again. He looked down into the street. It was so quiet and peaceful, Cindy was right. Why couldn't things be more like that? He opened his window slightly to let some of the warm, summer air flow into his room. He shut the shade again and got into bed. He twisted and turned, but fell asleep any ways.  
  
The night crawled by and every minute took its toll. The stars glimmered even as everyone was slept. The wind blew and the trees shuddered, the air was warm though, and it sent a cool refreshing breeze to all those with beckoning open windows. Jimmy fidgeted in bed. He scrunched his eyes up tight and moved around spreading himself out, and then curling himself up. He was asleep when he did this. He through the covers off his body and rolled over on his stomach. He couldn't get comfortable. He turned over to his back and his eyes shot open like a cannon. He stayed still and didn't move. He felt strange, he tried to think.  
  
He was sweating profusely. His whole body was covered, drenched and doused in perspiration. He moved his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. He sat up and sweat dripped from his greasy hair and off his face in beads. He felt his shirt, it was stuck to his body and when he pulled it, it suctioned back onto his chest when he let it go. He ran his hands through his hair and when he pulled them out they were wet. It was dark in his room. The only artificial light coming from his computer screen, and the small beams of moonlight that managed to slip in through his shade.  
  
He looked himself up and down. He didn't know what to do. Should he get up? Should he stay down? Should he tell his mother? That's it. Tell his mother. "Wait--- a second" he thought. After that whole scene with how he didn't need her, and how he was fine and could take care of himself he didn't think he should. He groaned in remorse, why did he have to open his big fat mouth? He cringed and laid back down onto his bed. His pillow was wet, and so where the sheets. He kicked down all the covers to the end of the bed and tried to close his eyes again. He was still sweating he could feel it, he wanted to wash himself off. What was wrong? He didn't know. He stayed awake all night, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't sleep. The wetness all around him kept him from sleeping. From that night on, Insomnia stalked him like a hungry lion, waiting for him to drift in unconsciousness so it could pounce.  
  
By the time the sun rose, the sweat around him had dried and so had he. He had gotten a little sleep towards the end of the night, but nothing more, nothing less. He sat up, opening his eyes along the way and leaned against the headboard. He scratched his head, it felt dirty, and he got up and went downstairs. He was looking for one thing. Water.  
  
He was so thirsty, he could have drunken a whole water reserve himself alone, his mouth was parched and dry, he coughed and his throat hurt.  
  
"Good Morning Jimmy" his mother said, she was rubbing down the counter with some Clorox. She talked a bit shyer than before, she didn't want to make him angry again.  
  
"G-" He shut his mouth and swallowed. He nodded to her. When he started to speak the words would not come out, he could force them to sound, but if he did it would cause him much pain. He tried to swallow again, there was no saliva in his mouth to keep his throat from dryness. He could barely breathe for a minute. He opened the fridge door and took out a gallon of water, he didn't even bother to take a glass, he started drinking from the gallon bottle and didn't stop until it was almost gone. His mother stared.  
  
".....My, your thirsty this morning" she said  
  
"Yah" It felt good to talk again. He drank the last of the water and through the bottle in the recycling bin. "Mom..I'm going to the lab" She sighed. He left any ways. He pulled out a piece of his hair. He didn't want to, he wouldn't have, but there was no other way to enter his laboratory. His hair was precious, or what was left of it. He entered and went into his main work room.  
  
The entire place was a mess. It was a disaster area, there were, papers, files, books, and notes everywhere to be seen. They piled into a shapeless mess on the floor, and into towers on his tables and desks. There were things crumpled on the floor, and experiments were in production. There were old plates of food he never finished and half drunken bottles of soda.  
  
His lab was frustration. It was anger, it was hatred, it was bile, it was hope, it was freedom, it was life. His lab was life. Jimmy's lab to him was his escape to unexplainable escapades, it was his retreat to a silent salvation. It was loud and it was quiet. It was full of life and it was solitary.  
  
But whatever it was at that moment, he walked into it and conformed it's identity when he sat into his chair. He looked into his computer screen. It was so big, it made his eyes go slightly larger when he looked into it's infinite black abyss. He pondered what to command. He sighed and rested his head into his knees as he brought them up slightly. He rested his head on his hands.  
  
Goddard walked up slowly.  
  
"WoOf?" he questioned gently and quietly as his licked his silent masters hand, Jimmy had his eyes shut. He opened them and looked to Goddard.  
  
"Oh, hey boy" he smiled fakely, his face projected distress. Goddard wagged his tail at Jimmy's false smile. He sighed again and looked back to his screen. "I don't know Goddard...first the Alopecia, now the sweating." He shook his head.  
  
"Jimmy, visitor requesting access" VOX stated lifelessly.  
  
"Who is it?" he asked raising his brows in a tired fashion and sitting regularly again. The computer displayed a camera view on her screen. "Oh.Come on in Carl" he said and pressed the button to let him enter. Carl waggled in.  
  
"Hey Jimmy" he said. He didn't sound happy, maybe, more or less on the sad side. Sheen ran in a split second before the air doors would have devoured him.  
  
"Hey Him" he panted.  
  
"Hi guys...uh..what brings you here?" he asked spinning his chair around to face them. Goddard sat with his tongue hanging out of his mouth beside him, he tilted his head.  
  
"We just thought we'd stop by and say hi" answered Carl. Sheen poked a test tube and it wobbled and shattered on the ground. Jimmy looked over.  
  
"Sheen!" "That was a blood test! Now I have to start it completely over!" He whined.  
  
"Whoops" he stood back from it. "I'm really sorry Jimmy" he said as he watched him go and clean it up.  
  
"Whatever" he answered. Jimmy didn't have his hat on, he left it in his room, and he was still in his boxers and pajama top.  
  
Sheen was more serious around Jimmy now, he figured he might as well act normal for him, so he always tried to be on his best manners, even though he sometimes couldn't, it was a difficult task for him. One could say, Sheen suffered from Attention Defecate Disorder, or ADD, but it wouldn't be true, he was just always curious. But like the cat, curiosity sometimes killed him. Sheen stared at his splotched head. After Jimmy had cleaned the mess he brushed his hands off and looked to him.  
  
"What are you looking at?" he asked a bit coldly.  
  
"Ahh.uh..nothing nothing" he answered quickly  
  
"If it's my hair you can just say it"  
  
"It's your hair" Sheen and Carl both replied in unison after a moment of silence.  
  
Jimmy almost smiled. But shook his head instead and walked back over to his seat and turned it back around to face the screen, he looked up and started punching in formulas, and theorems. Sheen looked to Carl and shrugged, Carl started to walk towards Jimmy and stood beside his chair. Sheen did the same but went to the opposite side. "What's wrong with it?" Carl asked about his hair, not sure if he should.  
  
Jimmy didn't look to either one of them, but stayed looking at the screen and typing, but he didn't ignore his friend.  
  
"It's called Alopecia" he explained. "It's a loss of hair often associated with anti-cancer treatments" he continued "If you haven't noticed, it's an absence of hair on the skull" he looked at Carl and half-heartedly smirked. He looked back to his screen and continued. "During Chemotherapy treatments, patients, meaning me, may suffer from temporary hair loss, since hair growth is linked to a rapid multiplication of the dermis' cells, which are very sensitive to anti-cancer treatments" he finished. Carl and Sheen waited to see if he was going to continue, and when he didn't Carl spoke.  
  
"Oh." and he nodded.  
  
Sheen coughed. "Man Jimmy you wreak!" he waved his hand in front of his nose. "When was the last time you've taken a shower?" he crinkled his nose. Carl slapped his forehead.  
  
Jimmy looked at Sheen. He stood up. "Your right, I need a shower" He paused thinking of how bad he must smell from all the sweating he did the night before. "So..how is school?"  
  
"I dnno" Sheen shrugged.  
  
"Of course you don't know, it's not like you pay attention" Carl said. Sheen sneered at him. "But schools boring without you Jimmy, won't you come back?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"The only thing boring about it is that now the only person I have to talk to, is you Carl" Sheen smirked and Carl stuck his tongue out. Jimmy rolled his eyes.  
  
"No I won't go back..I have more important things." "How.are the people in our class..how's Cindy?"  
  
"Why would you wanna know about her?" Carl asked with a dumbfounded expression dribbled across his face, same with Sheen's.  
  
"Just to see if uh.um..you if know, if she uhh.is happy I'm gone, she's the smartest now remember?" he covered  
  
"Ohhhh..well she's okay..I guess" Carl answered.  
  
"You guess?"  
  
"Yah, she's quiet now.she doesn't talk much"  
  
"Oh.." "Well, umm..I'm gonna go take a shower.I uhh.well I kinda was sweating last night, so I better" "You guys know your way out"  
  
"Okay seeya Jimmy" said Sheen, Carl waved and they headed out as Jimmy headed inside. He got ready, and showered and dressed and then returned to his lab. It felt good to wash off all the sweat and oil his body had accumulated from the night before.  
  
He sat back down in his seat. He was quiet.  
  
"I don't know boy....I just don't know." He sighed and rubbed up and down his face with his hand. "Every experiment I try..it comes out without a definite conclusion .I don't know what else to try.." He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes.  
  
His head was empty like a sterile room. He got up and walked around, he paced and then went to his computer. He shook his head. "I need a break"  
  
***Part 12- "Um.You hear that sound?"***  
  
He went back into the house and grabbed a soda from the fridge. He sat down at the kitchen table and popped it open, he took a sip of it. He turned the can to look at the nutritional facts, he just stared blankly at them, he was bored and exhausted. That's it. That's why he couldn't concentrate. He was tired, tired from his sleepless night before. He had just decided to go up to his room and fall fast asleep when his mother stormed into the room like and angry wind.  
  
"James Isaac Neutron!" her piercing angry voice woke him from his sleepiness in a start.  
  
"Huh? What?" he shook his head and looked at her.  
  
Her face was hard and furious. He sat back in his seat and rubbed his eyes sleepily, a little taken back from her obviously intolerant attitude.  
  
"Um..I mean, yes?" he knew he did something wrong, he grimaced. Either that or it was someone else, he was scared to know why she was so angry, because when his mother was angry, she was really, really angry. This time she was so angry she couldn't even speak. That was bad. The only time she did that was when she was furious. He was just waiting for her to explode, like a time bomb. She did.  
  
"James Isaac Neutron!!" "Have you completely lost your mind!?!!?" She fumed.  
  
Jimmy's eyes bulged slightly. What was she talking about? "Wha...what?" he asked confused.  
  
She sneered at him. "Dropping. Out." She said in an icy cold frigid voice.  
  
He gulped. Uh-oh. He didn't say anything. They just stared at each other for a long while. She glared him down, he sulked lower into his seat.  
  
"I cannot believe you, what on earth were you thinking?!" "Are you crazy?" "Dropping out of school! Jimmy Neutron I can't believe you!" He couldn't find anything to say to her.  
  
"Mom.I'm..-"  
  
"I don't care what you are!" she said.  
  
He lowered his head. After a few more minutes he looked up to see her and spoke. "But Mom..I'm sorry, I really am, but it's not like I needed the schooling, I could be in college if I wanted, I just needed time to myself." he tried to explain.  
  
"You should have never EVER ever done anything like that without your father and my concern first" she scolded  
  
"I know, I know and for that I'm sorry, but you have to understand.....this is my life...."  
  
She sighed. "What have you been doing all this time if you weren't in school?" "Where have you been going?"  
  
"Just to my lab, one hundred percent honesty I swear, all I've been doing was working in my lab"  
  
She sighed again. She was no longer angry, she was disappointed and frustrated, but not angry. She sank into the seat next to him, and rested her face into one of her hands. "Just go upstairs Jimmy.." She said in a downtrodden voice as she closed her eyes. He looked and didn't say a word, but he scooted out of the booth and went into his room. He sat at his computer desk. He was so tired. He felt guilty. Yet he didn't, he didn't really care actually. So what if his mother is angry? She'll get over it. Big deal. His eyelids felt heavy. They were coming down on him, his body needed sleep, he needed to rest, he closed his eyes and laid his upper body down on his desk, over his keyboard. He was so tired. He fell asleep.  
  
He was awoken with a start when the telephone rang. He opened one eye and he covered one ear closest to the phone. He sat up slowly. "Ouch.." He said sleepily, for the phone rang right into his ear. He picked up the phone and greeted a groggy salutation  
  
"Hello?" "Ahem" he cleared his throat and opened the other eye, he looked at his surroundings and realized where he fell asleep. He had marks from the keyboard on his arms.  
  
"Hello, Jimmy?" a familiar voice rang out.  
  
"Oh.." he yawned. "Hey Cindy, what's up? Why are you callin?"  
  
"Yah, um.you hear that sound?" She paused a second to be dramatic. "That's the sound of hell freezing over because I just got suspended from school for 2 weeks Neutron!" she sounded angry.  
  
"Oh no.not you too." he groaned.  
  
"Huh?" she was still snappy and mean.  
  
"Nothing it's just my Mom is mad at me.and now your mad at m-.wait a second, are you mad a me?"  
  
"Of course I am you moron!" "All because of your 'ingenious' elaborate plan to drop out of school, I am officially scarred in the eyes of educators, forever!" "There is a stain on my quilt of perfect grades and academic awards and I have to live with that ugly spot for the rest of my life!" "I can't believe you talked me into that!" "What are colleges going to say about that when I apply?" she talked on and complained and yelled.  
  
Blah Blah Blah. Jimmy made the hand motion like his hand was talking and an annoyed face. Click. He hung up. He rolled his eyes. She was going to call back. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.. Ring. Yup. There it was. He didn't answer it, he let his answering machine which was on his computer, do it for him.  
  
"I can't believe you! You just hung up on me! Fine! If your gonna be that way, just fine! Just leave me out of your crazy plans from now on....actually, come to think of it, just leave me out of your life! Or what's left of it!" She yelled with a typical 'oh no you didn't' girl attitude.  
  
Slam. She hung up the phone with a powerful bang. Jimmy flinched she slammed it so hard. And that was it. No more Cindy. It didn't really matter to him right then. Cindy was mad at him, so what? She'll get over it. Just like his Mom, she'll get over it. They'd both get over it. Right?  
  
He winced at her last statement. The phrase 'Just leave me out of your life! Or what's left of it!' rang in his mind like an ensemble or orchestra bells. He got a cross face.  
  
"She can't talk to me that way!" he said to Goddard. "Who freakin gives a damn if she doesn't come around anymore any ways? I sure as hell don't..plus she should have known this would happen eventually." He crossed his arms and laid back on his bed. He grabbed a medical book for himself and started to read it.  
  
Three more months passed. The rest of the school year, not Jimmy's evidently, and the Summer, flew by and the light summer breeze transformed into a crisp autumn wind. Jimmy had grown some more, he was now a strapping 5" 11 while Cindy averaged out at a whopping 5"4, and he was still growing too.  
  
Cindy had finally turned thirteen in August. She hated being the youngest. Her grudge, unlike Judy's, did not deteriorate, Cindy would not even look at Jimmy when they passed each other on the street sometimes.  
  
Jimmy spent the summer alone, with his mechanical dog, in a steel workroom, with a syringe and a computer. Judy had been angry, but eventually forgave him, she couldn't stay mad, but she sure did try. Though, it was no use, she gave him her forgiveness later than sooner. Cindy was furious Jimmy and Jimmy was furious because she was furious at him. They avoided each other for ninety moons, Jimmy taking out his frustration of everything in his work, and Cindy taking out hers, on those around her.  
  
It was a month after school had began again. Libby had had her sixteenth birthday in September. Jimmy was walking down the street, making a run to the supermarket for the ingredient his mother 'had' to have, and he made a quick stop at the hardware store while he was out and about. His hat still on backwards, though washed many times, and some jeans and a red T-shirt. He was headed towards home after he walked out of the hardware store and bumped into somebody. It was Libby, Cindy was on the other side of her.  
  
"Uhh..sorry" he said as she gave him a look.  
  
"Watch where your going Neutron" she replied unsympathetically as he bent down to pick up the nuts and bolts that had scattered across the ground. Cindy glanced at him while he bent down and it just so happened he glanced to her, she flushed and hid behind Libby again. Libby was easy for her to hide behind. She was taller than Cindy, plus, with her platform shoes, anybody could. He shook his head a bit and gathered the rest of his things. He stood up.  
  
He glided his hand across the air. "Carry on" he stated to them. Libby didn't.  
  
"Where have you been all summer....man you look awful, I haven't seen you in a while" Libby said.  
  
He nodded. "That's usually what happens when you don't come visit" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Please, I had better things to do" Ouch. That one hurt. Libby had really gotten colder. Cindy didn't say anything. He looked to her for back up, he didn't expect it, but he tried. She did nothing but look downwards. He looked back to Libby and sighed.  
  
"Whatever.." He shook his head and turned to walk away. Cindy had a brown bag of what looked like groceries in her hands but she turned around.  
  
"Jimmy"  
  
He turned back. "Hmm?" he asked awkwardly.  
  
"...I got your birthday card.........thanks" she said. It took her a moment to decide to thank him, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.  
  
He almost smiled. He had debated for weeks whether or not to send it, and when he finally mailed it, he wished he didn't, especially after she never responded. Now he knew it was all good. They just stood there for a minute, then they both looked to each other.  
  
"Look I'm" they said in unison. They both made a nervous chuckle.  
  
"Oh..heh..you first" they both repeated together. Jimmy shook his head and smiled.  
  
"I...." she sighed. She had turned and walked to face him so they were directly across from each other, only about seven inches, or so, apart. "I....sorry about over reacting before..." she looked to the ground.  
  
He continued. "And I'm sorry for not being sensitive enough..." They both looked up.  
  
"Friends again?" Cindy held out her hand in proposal for a truce.  
  
He looked at it momentarily, then shook. She smiled at him and then turned to Libby. They walked off together and he headed towards home. When he got there, Cindy was in his room waiting for him. He walked into the front door and turned and shut it.  
  
***Part 13- Deep Breaths***  
  
"Mom! I'm home.I got the stuff you wanted." he walked into the kitchen and placed it on the table, he took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack that stood by the door. Judy walked in.  
  
"Jimmy..there is some. one. Here to see you" she sang in a playfully devilish tone  
  
He crinkled his nose. "Someone? For me?" He glanced around. "Who?.where are they?" he looked around.  
  
"iShe'sblock up in your room" Judy's eye twinkled. She liked this, a pretty girl was here to see her son. "She? ...uh..who?" he asked nervously, he reached back and pressed his hat down harder, which made more hair puff out from the side and over his forehead.  
  
"It's Cindy" she announced with a smile  
  
"Oh?" he raised a brow. He shrugged to her and walked up his stairs, he opened the door to his room cautiously, to see her sitting on his bed, with something wrapped in a brown bag in her hand. He walked in and she heard and looked over, he stayed facing her, but shut the door behind him and stood leaning against it. "So...what unbearable torture do you have planned for me?" he asked with a small grin-like smile creeping over his lips.  
  
She made a half-smile back. "I'm glad we're talking again" she said. He walked over towards her.  
  
"Me too" he said.  
  
"I missed seeing you" she said  
  
"I missed seeing you just the same" He paused. "It was hard goin to the hospital and then not havin you to be there to cheer me up.." She looked at him and smiled, with her eyes. He sat down next to her, they were facing the window.  
  
"Oh" she looked down at the object in her hands that she kept snapping the elastic to. "Here this is for you" she handed it to him. "I mean to give it to you before....I just never got around to it..." She looked the other way to his wall.  
  
He looked at the object that was in her hand and lowered his brow. "You got me something?" he questioned and reached and took it out of her hands. He slid off the elastic down and looked to her again, she wasn't looking at him, he looked back to his gift and unwrapped the brown paper bag that was concealing it. When he did, it revealed a book. The cover, back and front was made of black leather. He looked at her again.  
  
"You bought me a Bible?" he said slightly surprised.  
  
She looked at him this time. "Yah..I thought you might need it....you know, for guidance, ...for help"  
  
"Umm..thanks..I guess" he put it down beside him. "But your forgetting" he added "I'm not religious"  
  
She nodded her head back and fourth. "That's reason I got it for you" He gave her a confused look. "Look Jimmy, sometimes...we can't figure things out for ourselves.we just have to put our trust in God.and trust he'll fix the things we can't"  
  
"Hah" he kind of snorted. "Do you believe that?" he asked believing she wouldn't.  
  
She furrowed her brows. "Yes, I do, and you should too" she said.  
  
"Cindy" he looked her in the eye and took both of her hands. She was surprised at this, his hands were icy cold, and she almost drew back, he didn't have a hard grasp on them, a very loose one, but she proceeded to let him hold them. It was an act of seriousness, not of romance. His blue eyes were a dull ocean, on a misty, fog filled day. They were serious and poured into her green spheres of emerald. She listened.  
  
"Cindy...I have no reason to believe in God...he hasn't helped me...and he isn't now.God is ignoring me...God does not ignore people who are in trouble. There is no God." She slid her hands out of his, never losing eye contact with him.  
  
She swallowed. She looked down from him and tried to explain. "Jimmy...you're looking at this wrong" He interrupted.  
  
"No.You are. If you were in my position, you'd understand..but you just can't" "Just let me believe what I want..okay?"  
  
She nodded and made a light sigh. "Okay" He nodded back.  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
"You know..." Jimmy said. "It has been one year since I was diagnosed.." Without words, he held up his hand to her, he showed four fingers standing up straight, slowly he brought one down so there was only three. His face looked sad, yet emotionless. After a moment of her looking at it, he brought it back down. He swallowed hard and bit his bottom lip, he looked away from her. Cindy looked away as well, she made a small, almost inaudible, helpless sigh and rested her forehead on the bottom of her palms, after a minute she lifted her head slightly so only her nose and mouth were covered by her hands and her eyes were free.  
  
"I never realized it's..been so long..it went by so fast.." She said to herself.  
  
She turned to him again. This time her voice was gentle and quiet. "Jimmy, I really think you should read that" She checked her watch. "I should go..." She got up from his bed and then did something she never did before, she kissed him on the forehead. But, before she did, she grabbed the rim of his hat, and pulled it off his head. He didn't try and grab it back, but when he felt it pry off, he moved his hands like he was going to snatch it. He watched it pull away from his head and looked worried. Then, she kissed his forehead, gently and sweetly. He watched her with his blue eyes and tried to smile. She placed his hat on his bureau, turned and made a sweet half-smile and left his room and shut the door behind her.  
  
He watched her leave and then lowered his head in remorse. He despised that. That look she got, and his mother, and father, and friends and relatives. All of them got that look. But it hurt most when Cindy gave it to him. He detested seeing the sadness pile up into her deep sage, mossy gaze. It filled them up and capsized them, like rampant waters on a lowly unsuspecting vessel. But her eyes had developed a shield to protect themselves, Cindy had developed that shield. Her heart could cease emotion, it could turn to stone, she did not want to feel the pain and anxiety of Jimmy's situation. So her heart would transform to cold, hard, sulfurous rock. But her shield could shatter easily.  
  
The sadness could penetrate her shield, and run wild in her eyes. It danced across her gaze in a complex set of steps, if jumped and kneeled, and bent and hopped. It would hide, she would hide it. But no matter where it was, it was still there. Inside of her. Shot like a bow and arrow to cease her happiness and make her hiddenly woeful and sorrowed. He felt guilty. He became aggravated and walked over to his desk. He sat down in his chair.  
  
When he thought of this pain he must cause others, he caused pain for himself, and every time he did, he would push it down. "Everything was okay. It was alright. It was fine." Is what he told himself at times when his frustrations peaked. It was alright, in his mindset, to cause himself pain. That was only natural, he had a problem, he suffered.  
  
He excepted it because he could surpress it, but when he came to cause others grief, is when he was most ashamed. He couldn't stop it either. His mother would cry, and his father, and he'd want to tell them to stop, but he couldn't. He was angry at himself. He never realized before, how sweetly Cindy would take to him, and that she too must have that sensation to sob like his parents.  
  
He never realized that, not until he saw her candy gloss smile try and cover up her anxiety, and her helplessness, and her weakness as she left his room. He opened his desk drawer and got out a piece of paper. Did she feel that way? He was confused, though, he was so sure he saw the glimmer of tears forming in her eyes.  
  
He started to write. He was making a list. The title read. "Things I Hate About Myself" He scribbled down number one, and then left it to rest until he sensed something else.  
  
He sat there for a minute. To think, to collect his thoughts, and then he rose again, and laid back on his bed. He heard Goddard's metal scamper in the hall, he called him.  
  
"Goddard!" he only had to holler once and the metal pup was on top of his chest. Jimmy put his hands around Goddard's back and pulled downwards, forcing Goddard to lie down. He closed his eyes and then opened them again. He sat up, he held Goddard in his lap and looked at his cybernetic puppy. The whole house was quiet. His mother was else ware, and his father was working. It seemed like he could hear everything, like he was one, with his house and home. Everything was silent, he took a deep breath and then exhaled.  
  
"Goddard" he voice cracked. The dog looked at him. "What will it be like if I'm gone?" he swallowed. He could feel his heart palpitating. Goddard whimpered and rubbed his cold metallic body against Jimmy's warm stomach. He turned silent again. He didn't mean to say what he said. But as he looked around he couldn't help but wonder, would life go on?  
  
He laid back down and released Goddard to the floor, he let himself become tired. He took deep, everlasting breaths. He loved the air, he loved his lungs. Deep breaths. In and out, in and out. In. Out. In. Out. He could hear his breath, he could feel it.  
  
He could hear his heart beating. Thump thump. Thump thump. The blood was being swished back and forth through his arteries. He could feel his body working. Fighting. Trying to stay alive. His body was a machine. It was a living, working machine. His eyes where shut. He swallowed again. He listened to his heart, it beat like an Native American drum. He took deep breaths so air would fill his lungs like a balloon. After time, he opened an eye and looked to the Bible Cindy had gave him.  
  
He made a disgusted look. There was no God. God would not do this to him. He rose and kicked it hard under his bed.  
  
"And stay there!" he warned to the book, like it was a night crawler that would sneak out and steal away his hopes and dreams if he let it escape. He sat back at his desk and started assembling random pieces of plastic, and junk into molecular models. Science was always there to calm him down, he was thinking too much today. He had to stop, he had to get back to his lab, he had to work, he had to save himself.  
  
***Part 14- Catastrophe***  
  
Jimmy was at the hospital for one of his bimonthly chemotherapy visits. He laid in his bed asleep, he awoke when he heard a gentle knock on the door. He rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Come in" he said quietly. He was back to a state of tranquility, for that moment in time, he wasn't thinking of the hospital, or medicines, he was just a boy, getting out of bed, answering his door.  
  
The girl who entered had ebony skin. She was tall and lean and she had a certain beauty about her that others may beseech, it was a mysterious, strange beauty. Her stiff mahogany hair was left to flow gently about her shoulders, it held a gentle curl that made it graceful. Her face was sharp and her voice was low, yet smooth.  
  
"Hi Jimmy" she said as she turned from shutting the door.  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows and sat up straighter. He reached for his hat which rested on his nightstand and held it close to him and then pressed it to his head. "Libby?" "What're you doin here?" he asked. She was one of the last people he expected for a visit.  
  
She walked closer to his bed. She had black pants on and a jacket with a purse dangling from her shoulder. She was looking down and then looked to his face, which was puzzled.  
  
"I just wanted to say I was sorry"  
  
His brow stayed furrowed. "..For what?"  
  
"For what happened"  
  
"I have a feeling that I'm missing something" he contemplated  
  
"....You..mean you didn't hear yet?" she was hesitant  
  
He turned his head slightly. "...hear what?"  
  
Libby covered her mouth. "Uhh.nothing" "Nothing" She made a nervous laugh. "Well it was nice talking to you Jimmy, I have to get going now I have that um...important.uh.thing I have to get to" She quickly walked to the door and shut it after she left in a rush.  
  
Jimmy sat dumbfounded in his bed. He raised a brow, confused and ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Well.....that was weird" He hopped out of bed, still pondering what she had said to him. "Libby was just being strange" he thought to himself. Nothing serious could have happened. He walked into the hall and it seemed that all the doctors and nurses stared at him for a second, pitying him almost.  
  
He shook his head. He was imagining things. As he walked down the hall, everyone fell silent. He looked about curious, and unbelieving. After he had returned to the front of his door he looked towards the people in the hall once more.  
  
He laughed slightly. "Alright everyone..what's going on?" No one answered. "Why isn't anyone answering me?" "Is there something here I don't know?" He looked back and forth. "...Someone say something" he said. His brow furrowed again lightly and his shoulders dropped and his arms dangled. He narrowed his eyes and reached for his door knob, he turned it slightly and then he heard Cindy scampering down the hall.  
  
"Jimmy!"  
  
He looked to her. She came up to him.  
  
"Cindy, do you know why is everyone acting so weird around me today?" he took comfort in her presence, like she was there to protect him in a sort of way. "It's like I missed something..first Libby showed up and the-"  
  
"Libby came here?" she interrupted. He nodded. "Argh! I told her not to! ......she didn't say anything to you did she?" she asked sheepishly.  
  
"Wait wait wait.." "No she didn't..but something is going on here, and I want to know what it is" He held Cindy's shoulder. "Tell me"  
  
"Uhh.." "Um.lets go into your room" She walked in and he followed behind  
  
He shut the door. "Okay Cindy this isn't funny anymore.tell me what it is that I don't know about"  
  
"Jimmy I think you should sit.um..or lay down"  
  
He looked at her confused but followed her suggestion to avoid confrontation and laid back into his bed.  
  
"Jimmy." she went to his bedside and spoke quietly.  
  
"What?" "What is it?" he was getting tired of this.  
  
Cindy closed her eyes for a long moment and then opened them again. "Jimmy...I know this might be hard to understand.......but..your lab was looted" she spoke like he was three years old and then stopped to see his reaction.  
  
"W-what?" he asked  
  
"Someone broke into your lab" she clarified  
  
He couldn't believe it. "Your kidding"  
  
"No.I'm not."  
  
"Well..what did they take?" he cut to the chase.  
  
"Everything" she answered  
  
"...What do you mean everything?"  
  
"They stole.." she swallowed hard. "They stole all your research, they stole everything, from lab reports to test tubes...all your work on leukemia is gone.......Jimmy I'm so sorry" There where no amount of words to describe the horrible, achy, empty, terrible, gnawing feeling she felt then. It grinned in the pit of her stomach and it made her sick, she felt so sorry for him. She thought that he didn't deserve any more suffering, she felt so terrible, awfully, sorry.  
  
He was in a state of complete shock. "No..that's impossible..no one can get into my lab." He was mentally calculating the functions, and bugs in his security system.  
  
"And....that's not even the worst part" she felt a tear form in her eye.  
  
He looked at her. His eyes now filled with sadness and despair, he was weak, he felt worthless. ".....What...could possibly.be worse?" he questioned, it looked like he might cry.  
  
"Goddard is gone" she said quickly  
  
He closed his eyes and opened them "Gone as in stolen?" "Lost?"  
  
"Gone..as in..broken.as in..destroyed" she spoke slowly.  
  
He opened his mouth but no words came out. His eyes teared up. He had a frog in his throat.  
  
"He's.....destroyed?" he looked at her questioningly, but it was obvious he was holding back some tears. "....Where is he?"  
  
His face was shrouded in sadness, she walked out of the room and a few minutes later, she came back with a large piece of what looked like junk. But when you looked close enough it was a squished metal body, one that had once lived like a normal life. It was flattened while his legs were bent and torn. His tongue stuck outside his motionless, lifeless jaw. Jimmy was in shock. He held out his arms for Cindy to place Goddard in. She handed the mechanical dog to him.  
  
He looked down to Goddard for a long time. "Goddard was my baby......he was my baby Cindy....." he looked up to her for a moment and then back down. "I made him with my two bare hands" Jimmy started to let tears fall from his eyes. "How could this happen?" he looked to her. She shook her head unknowingly.  
  
He started to stroke the metal pup's broken body. "I'm so sorry boy..I should have fixed the security system..I don't know what went wrong.I'm so sorry.I love you boy." He pressed Goddard close to his body and hugged him, his jagged edges pierced through pieces of Jimmy's skin, but it was disregarded. "You were my best friend.........I'm so sorry"  
  
Cindy felt a lump in her throat and she tried to swallow. Jimmy then looked up to Cindy again.  
  
Cindy left to leave Jimmy alone and return to his lab which was blocked away with police tape, she was instructed not to touch anything and not to cross the line, as all was evidence. His parents were shocked to discover his lab burrowed as far into the ground as it did. A few hours later Cindy returned to the hospital to see how Jimmy was doing. Lucky for her it was a weekend. She and Jimmy walked outside the hospital and sat on a bench. He wasn't talkative and he seemed very depressed. He looked to her after they sat down.  
  
"I don't know what to do with him" he said sadly. "Cindy...what happens to the soul of a machine?"  
  
She shook her head, not knowing what to say or do to help. "Can't you fix him?"  
  
"I could make repairs..but I could never bring back the life it was he had...that's gone...I never knew what it was to begin with..I kept trying to recreate it.to find it and isolate it and figure out what it was.and I never could"  
  
"Cindy.Goddard is gone....forever" "I don't know what to do...I've never had this feeling before..it feels like.there is a whole in my heart.." He swallowed. "And I can never fill it up.." He stood up. "And my lab.my lab! I need to go see it! Come on, take me home"  
  
"But Jimmy I can't" she explained. "The doctors haven't released you"  
  
"Cindy I really need to get back..I need to see my lab, please, take me back"  
  
Cindy wanted to heed to his wish so badly, but her conscious would not let her.  
  
"Jimmy... I can't...you need to go back to your room" she said  
  
"...What?" He gave her a look of disgust and walked back to the hospital and through the giant white double doors.  
  
***Part 15- Libby + Sheen***  
  
Sheen was asleep on his desk while everyone else in the class where throwing random items of trash and school supplies at him, trying to see his reactions. Nick chuckled from the back of the room as he through an old banana peel at him. Sheen simply brushed it off and continued with his slumber. He was snoring and had his mouth wide open, so a puddle of drool had accumulated on his desk. Libby walked into the classroom and glared at Nick and then wiped some of the paper off Sheen's back that has rested there after being thrown at him. She sat in her desk. Cindy walked into class with her blonde hair swept back from her face in a low messy bun, she had on a pair of flare jeans and a long sleeve pink shirt that complemented her gorgeous figure beautifully. She sat down next to Libby.  
  
"Hey Girl"  
  
Cindy looked to her. "Hi Lib."  
  
"Is something bothering you?" she asked as she took her headphones off and put them inside her desk.  
  
"No" Cindy looked around the room. "Libby, isn't it weird that you, Nick, Sheen, Carl and me all ended up in the same homeroom? Again? Since we're in high school"  
  
Libby crinkled her nose. "Yah I guess it is isn't it?"  
  
"Jimmy said you went to visit him?"  
  
"Uhh...yah I guess so.if you could call it that"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I just popped my head in and said hi then left, that's all"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So.have you been to see Jimmy?"  
  
"Yah.I went and told him..about Goddard.and his lab"  
  
"How'd he take it?"  
  
"Not to good..I think he's mad at me"  
  
"Girl you two are Ialwaysblock mad at each other" she smiled. Cindy didn't smile back.  
  
"I feel bad.he wanted to go home.and I wouldn't take him.."  
  
"Well that's good!" she said a little two loudly and caused a few heads to turn. She quieted back down. "That's good! You can't always be doin' whatever it is he wants Cindy, you have to tell him no sometimes, I mean, just because he's sick doesn't mean he has this special power or anything, you know what I'm sayin'?"  
  
She nodded. The bell for the start of class rang. Sheen shot up in a start.  
  
"I swear I didn't ride the bike with the training wheels!" he yelled out upon coming back to the conscience world. A few people giggled. And he looked around and blushed. After their teacher had started droning on about her lesson, Sheen drifted back into his own world, he looked around the class but his leisurely glance halted on Libby. Her raven black hair was swooped up the same way she had it for as long as he could remember. Her ebony skin looked soft, and her long fingers grasped a purple, feathered pen as she wrote down notes about world civilization. She looked over and saw him staring at her and flashed a quick smile and went back to her notes. He smiled to himself.  
  
"Sheen, will you please tell me the answer to number thirteen?"  
  
He came out of his reverie and looked to her. "Huh?"  
  
She sighed. "That's what I thought, please pay attention" "Cindy?"  
  
"The Tigris and the Euphrates" she smirked and looked at Sheen who rolled his eyes.  
  
"Very good, now everyone turn to page ninety one" The class did as they were told.  
  
It was Friday thankfully, and the day went by quicker than usual. Cindy gathered her things and headed to her bus, she sat down and Libby sat down next to her.  
  
"So Libby..you wanna go to the movies or something tonight?" Cindy asked, although she didn't feel exactly up to the idea of a movie, she wanted to uphold their friendship.  
  
Libby looked downwards and then back to Cindy. "Uhh..sorry Cindy but, I have other plans"  
  
"Oh?" she arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Yah.um..I'm already goin' to the movies..with uh.someone else" she confessed.  
  
"Who?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Hey Libby!!!!" Sheen walked up the bus aisle. Cindy and Libby both looked to him. He sat down in the seat in front of them and turned around. "So what movie do you wanna see tonight?! There is a new Ultra Lord movie out! It's called 'The Revenge of Ultra Lord's Revenge Part III'!!! You wanna see that hmm hmm hmm???"  
  
Cindy's mouth was opened slightly. She looked to Libby. "Why?" she questioned of Sheen and Libby smiled sheepishly and looked back to him.  
  
"As much as I'd love to see that one Sheen...um.darn" She snapped her fingers. And lied to get out of seeing it. "Heh..I've already seen it" She shrugged her shoulders. "So it looked like we'll just have to go see something else...aww.too bad" Cindy giggled.  
  
"You've already seen it?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"Um.yah..heh" She looked back and forth and then to Cindy.  
  
He gasped. "ME TOO!!!!!!!" "I've see it eight times already!!" He was smiling. "What part was your favorite?!?!" he asked eagerly.  
  
"Uhh.I.liked the whole thing..heh.I couldn't possibly pick out one" she laughed nervously. Cindy was grinning.  
  
"WOW!" His eyes had stars in them. "That's so awesome!.You know what I hear?!?!" He asked.  
  
"What?" Libby said afraid of what he was going to say.  
  
"I hear it's even BETTER the ninth time you see it!!!!" He smiled and turned around to talk to Carl who had just sat next to him.  
  
Libby looked to Cindy who giggled.  
  
"Hey you got yourself into it" she said  
  
"I know, I know" Libby smiled. "So.um...you can come.along with us if you want.I guess." she said out of pure kindness.  
  
"Are you kidding? I'd never ruin your night like that" Libby smiled and she smiled back.  
  
The bus rumbled to a start and began to drive out of the school.  
  
"So then what are you gonna do tonight?"  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe I'll just hang out.."  
  
The bus came to a screeching halt in front of Cindy's house and she waved goodbye to Libby.  
  
"Call me later okay?" she asked. Libby nodded and Sheen moved from his seat to sit next to her as Cindy stepped off the bus.  
  
***Part 16- Indianna Cindy and the Files From the Lab***  
  
Cindy walked into her house. It was empty, and it started to rain outside. It was turning out to be a gloomy day after all.  
  
She yawned and went up to her room. She looked out her window to see Jimmy's house. She couldn't help but think to herself what he kept hidden in that lab of his, she was never allowed to enter it herself, and always wondered. She went down stairs and locked the front door as she made her way outside. Her parents wouldn't be home for another few hours, so there was no need for alarm for them. The Neutron household looked deserted, so she scampered across the street and onto their lawn. She walked around back to the old clubhouse that had once been the entrance to Jimmy's beloved laboratory. The broken hinged door was lying on the ground, while his VOX recorder lye snapped wires in all, practically hanging off the wall. The entrance was blocked by police tape. Cindy took a quick look around and climbed under it. It was damp and musty inside his clubhouse, because of the recently opened doorway and the frequent rain. She brushed herself off, at least it was dryer in there than outside.  
  
Cindy had to be careful, not only was what she was doing dangerous, but was also illegal. She looked around to find the portal that led to his lab. She walked over to a hole in the floor and looked down it, that was where his lab was. She took a deep breath and jumped down. She didn't land on her feet but on her bottom, and hard. "Owww..." she complained as she looked up from where she had jumped. She stood up and rubbed her bruised buttocks. She looked around and gasped at his lab's entirety.  
  
Though ruined, it was huge, gigantic and beautiful. "Wow." She looked around and walked in and out of rooms. "This place is incredible.." Her voice echoed as it bounced off the dark, cave-like walls.  
  
She walked across a large bridge and looked over the edge to see a pile of unfinished robots, piled up with those where all his other inventions. She made a confused face and then came to his main work room. Her eyes got big. The whole entire place was filled with equipment for blood tests, and other research developments for his disease. His whole self must have been dedicated to finding a cure, she thought.  
  
She walked past tables with papers filled with data on them. There where smashed test tubes on the ground. The tables were broken and the chairs were wrecked. His equipment was ruined. Blood from some of his experiments was splattered on the ground. There was broken glass everywhere. The people or person who looted his lab completely wrecked everything. Her eyes became watery.  
  
"Oh..my.god." she whispered as she looked around. "How could this happen?" She walked further into his room. It was dark in his lab when things were not working, the electricity had been cut in some places, so there was barely any lights, but there was enough to allow her to see. She ran her hand across a table and quickly pulled it back.  
  
"Ow!" She stuck it into her mouth and sucked. She pulled it out to look, her skin had caught on a piece of glass and she was now bleeding. She sucked the blood off again and then let her arm by her side. She spotted his chair in front of his giant VOX screen, the heart of his super computer.  
  
She saw that the screen of his computer had been smashed and there was a giant hole in it, probably made by a baseball bat. The cracks climbed up the glass like a spider web, you could barely see the flickering fuzz that was the screen's dark picture disappearing and then coming back to life momentarily before it burnt out again.  
  
She walked to it slowly and sat down in his seat. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. Her shoes squeaked as they brushed up against the tire that held the seat up. She sniffed and closed her eyes.  
  
"We-welcome Home Jimmy" The computer stuttered a moment later, breaking the silence around her. The buzzing of a broken electrical wire could be heard, and a few sparks were coming out from the wall.  
  
"Huh?" She said weakly, as she lifted her head from her knees and sniffed, she rubbed her wet eyes and looked around. "VOX?" she questioned.  
  
"Y-y-Yes Jimmy?" The computer stuttered. It was obvious that the massive machine was coming to the end of it's artificial life. His computer was broken and it lacked the ability to understand commands well. And to recognize voices. The wire endings were frying from the electrical heat and it was dying.  
  
"No" she sniffed again. "It's not-wait..um..VOX, are all my files..on..leukemia destroyed?" She questioned hopefully, pretending she was a certain boy genius.  
  
"Accessing Leukemia Files" "Classified" the word classified blinked on and off of the screen.  
  
"Didn't I put them anyplace else? I mean.just in case something like this happened?" Her tone was sounding urgent and desperate. She could tell the computer was losing power and soon there would not be any time left. "Isn't there anyway I could get the information out??"  
  
"Files can be attained through.d-disk..." The lights to the lab flashed on and off. The computer died and started back up again.  
  
"Disk?" She looked around frantically, thinking there might be a way for her to help. She started rummaging through drawers and pushing papers over looking for a blank disk. She finally found one beneath a pile of papers, underneath a table in the back of the room.  
  
"Hah!" she cried victoriously. She ran back to the computer and shoved trash and items of his aside, to find the CD slot. She shoved the disk in and looked to the broken screen. It displayed a would-be clear picture, but it was cut off by the hole and would fuzz up every few seconds.  
  
"Copying Leukemia Files" The screen showed a bar that said 0% complete.  
  
"Come on.come on.." Cindy chanted hopefully.  
  
"Password r-R-required"  
  
"What!? Password! No..." she sat down in his chair feeling hopeless and depressed.  
  
"Five minutes." The electricity went out again and then back on. The computer turned off and on. "F-f-five Minutes to System Meltdown" The lights kept flickering.  
  
"This isn't fair.." She felt helpless. She stood up and looked determined "Okay Cindy.you can't give up.what would Jimmy's password be?" She coached herself "Think Cindy think think think..." She couldn't help but smile, it sounded like she was having a brainblast. "Um.um.um.." "Goddard!" she shouted.  
  
"Password Incorrect" "a-A-access Denied"  
  
"Urgh..um.okay think.think Cindy.." She was trying to be calm despite the fact an entire laboratory network was coming to a crashing end around her. If she didn't get out in time, who knew what would happen if right before it crashed the system went haywire. The doors could shut and trap her in there, the lights would go out and she'd be trapped. It could mean terrible danger and electrocution, and maybe even a horrible twisted death.  
  
"Four minutes to System Meltdown"  
  
"Um..um.." she was increasingly nervous "Neutron!" she tried again.  
  
"Pass-pass....Password Incorrect Access Denied"  
  
"Oh no.what am I gonna do!?" She looked around hoping for a clue, but none came. "Alright Cindy.think like Jimmy.what would Jimmy make for his password.it can't be that hard." "What is something no one would never ever ever think to guess..." She asked herself. A red blinking light started up as a warning for system failure.  
  
"Hah! Wait a minute!" A smile creaped across her face. "Vortex!" she shouted.  
  
The computer was silent for a moment. Cindy had a look of hope and fright. She waited. That's all she could do.  
  
"Access Granted, Disk Copying" The bar started at one percent and climbed to ten and counting.  
  
She smiled. "Jimmy thank you for being so confusing!" she shouted to no one.  
  
"Three Minutes to System M-m..To System Meltdown"  
  
"Come on..please please hurry.." She watched the screen. 20 percent, 25 percent, 30 percent, 35 percent.  
  
She clenched her fists. "Hurry, hurry up.." She looked to the door where she had entered, and ran to it, she stuck a broken chair in the door way, so in case the air door shut, it would be stopped. She thought it was doubtful the old chair could withstand the power of the door though, but there was nothing else she could do.  
  
"Two--." The electricity went out and back on. Cindy looked to the screen hoping it didn't delete her file. It didn't. "Two Minutes to System Meltdown" 35 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent, 55 percent, 60 percent, 65 percent, 70 percent.  
  
"Argh! Hurry!" she said watching the door and the screen. The process bar slowly filling up. "Only thirty percent more! Come on you damn machine hurry!" she yelled. 75 percent, 80 percent, 85 percent.  
  
"Come on..hurry"  
  
90 percent, 95 percent, 100 percent. "Yes Finally!" she cheered. Suddenly the electricity went out. "Uh-oh.." She looked around but could see nothing but black. She heard the dripping of water and the buzzing of broken electrical wire. She stepped and heard water sloshing at her feet. The rain from out side must be dripping in, she thought.  
  
She was scared, if a broken wire hit the water, well, that would be the end of Cindy. She walked foreword carefully. She knew Jimmy's lab was a heaven for mishaps and accidents, so she stuck her hand out in front of her to avoid colliding with anything. She remembered a box of matches that she had shoved to the floor earlier and bent down to the ground, she crawled around, sliding her hands across the small layer of water that covered the floor. She could feel the prickle of broken glass on her knees and palms, her hand moved across the water and she came upon the box.  
  
"Yes!" she said. She stood up a little too quickly ad smashed her head on something sharp. "YEE-OWWW!!!" She cried in pain. She put her hand to her head and could feel the blood trickle down her arm. She bit her lip and held back tears as she struggled to open the match box in the pitch black, the only light available was the faint glimmer from the broken computer screen, which obviously ran on an internal battery for just such occasions. She fumbled and dropped the box but picked it up and opened it.  
  
"One Minute to System Meltdown"  
  
She took out a match and stroked it against the side of the box. It didn't light. She tried it again. They would not light because they were wet. She bent down on the floor again, being careful not to drop the matches. The water level on the floor had grown higher. She heard a small fire ignite someplace, probably because of two exposed chemicals, then she felt the pitter- patter of the fire sprinklers turn on. She grit her teeth, if anything electrical came in contact with a concentrated source of water, then she would be in BIG trouble.  
  
The water level had grown high enough for light objects to float across it. She moved her hand about and came across something with leathery material. She picked it up and stood. "A-hah!" she stroked the match upon the dry leathery surface and it lit. "Yes!" she cried. She had just invented fire. She carried her new source of light to the computer's disk slot, finally able to see where she was going. The rain from the sprinkler was a threat to her flame and she hoped, for it was all she could do, that it would not go out.  
  
"Disk Copy Complete" VOX spoke.  
  
The disk came out of the slot and Cindy ran to grab it. She took and held it carefully in her hand. She went to run out of the room but stopped and looked at the computer. "Thank you VOX" she said. "Goodbye" And she ran.  
  
"Goodbye Jimmy" "Thirty Seconds to System Meltdown"  
  
Cindy ran, and she could run fast, she ran because she knew if the computer system blew up, and it got wet from the rainstorm outside, or the sprinkler, then the whole place would hot wire and she would be fried like chicken in there. She ran through every room and across the bridge, taking one last speeding look at all of Jimmy's inventions on the ground below, and ran to the room with the hole in the ceiling where she had come in. The swishing of water was every where she stepped. The match went out. She dropped it. The light from the hole leading to his clubhouse provided her to see in that room.  
  
She looked around and found a ladder, she set it up into the top of the hole, she suck the leather object in her back pocket so she could climb and climbed up into the clubhouse. She ran outside and stood looking at it and facing it from about seven feet away. She leaned over herself and rested her hands on her knees and coughed. She stood up straight.  
  
The rain pelted down on her body. Her hair was becoming plastered to her head. And the soaked grass squished beneath her water filled shoes. She heard a low rumble and first thought it was thunder, and looked to the gray sky, which was becoming black. The rain hit her eyes and temporarily blinded her. She rubbed them to clear her vision. She heard a muffled bang and felt a quiver in the ground and looked to the clubhouse. She ignored the throbbing pain coming from the cut on her head, which was filling her wet blonde hair with the red twang of blood.  
  
Jimmy's lab was shut down, the system had melted. She stood in the pouring rain, holding a disk. She wiped her hair from her face. She walked back into her house, she was dripping wet.  
  
She left her shoes by the door, and walked up to her room and turned on her light. She gave herself a mental pat on the back and sat in her computer chair. She took out a pen and on the label part of the CD wrote "Leukemia Files" is neat cursive. She placed the disk by her computer. And looked out the window, the sky had turned dark, and lighting flashed.  
  
***Part 17- The Journal***  
  
She was mentally exhausted. She walked into her bathroom to inspect the damage done to herself. She looked into the mirror and saw the redness in her hair, she brought her hands up and spread her hair apart so she could see the cut more clearly. She knew a cut on your head was not a good thing at all, but it didn't looked deep enough to cause any threatening damage so she got a towel and pressed it to her head to stop the bleeding, which had already slowed up.  
  
Cindy held out her palms, one at a time, to reveal little cuts and scrapes from the glass and other particles on the floor of his lab. She looked down to her knees, which had the same type gashes on them. She shed her wet clothes and turned on the shower and stepped inside, the warm water caressed her cold body, she gently washed her hands and knees with soap to avoid infection.  
  
"Ow..ouch ouch.." she said under breath as the soap stung her. She washed her hair, but made sure not to get any shampoo or conditioner in the cut on her head. She rinsed off and got out and dried off, she wrapped a towel around herself and went into her bedroom. Getting her silky pajamas from the drawer she remembered something, but then forgot again as she put them on, she put on her fluffy pink slippers as well.  
  
She went back into the bathroom to gather her wet clothes to put them in the dryer, she picked them up and then stopped a moment, she felt something in the wet clothes and reached to get it, it was the leather object in her back pocket. She brought it out from the pile of wet attire and what she came to realize, is that the object itself was a book, a journal to be exact. She furrowed her brow. She grabbed the rest of the wet things and left the journal on the floor in her room. After she had come back from the laundry room she turned off her light and shut the door, and she scampered over to her nightstand and turned on her lamp, which gave a warm, soft light off, she sat on the floor and leaned against the side of her bed.  
  
She reached for the journal, it was sopping wet. The pages were drenched and some were falling out, she opened the cover carefully to reveal pages upon pages of thoughts written by Jimmy. The journal was not thick, but he wrote the words small. Most of the ink was running and the words were smeared, although it would have been even difficult to read it in the first place, for his hand writing was illegible. She flipped through the wet book and deemed it useless until she came to one page that was half-dry. She scurried closer to her lamp to read what it said.  
  
Day 1  
  
Today I found out I am diagnosed with leukemia. There are no words to describe the feelings I have right now.  
  
She looked below it, there was more writing it seemed from a different day. It was wet, but she could make out the words.  
  
Day 7  
  
I told Carl I have leukemia. I don't believe that was a mistake. I asked Cindy if she would help me drop out of school. She said yes, she doesn't suspect a thing. Carl asked me if I was scared. That is a good question. I am going to find a way out of this, I'll find a cure, but, to keep me reminded of the things I care for most, I will always keep a list, 1-5 to remind me why I have to stay alive.  
  
1.My Family  
  
2.Goddard  
  
3.Carl, Sheen  
  
4.My Lab  
  
5.My Inventions  
  
She could barely make out that. She flipped through more pages, but nothing was readable until she came to another half dry page.  
  
Week 32  
  
I have made much progress in my research. I'm not making much progress with my list of goals.  
  
1.Mom, Dad, Granny  
  
2.Goddard  
  
3.Carl, Sheen  
  
4.My Lab  
  
5.My inventions  
  
She flipped through as many pages as she could, until she could find another readable page.  
  
Week 45  
  
Chemo is a bitch. My lab work is going well. But I am afraid it is going too slow, only a few more weeks until it will be a year since I was diagnosed. Cindy visits me often. I don't know why. But I like it when she does, she helps me to forget the plight I'm in. If it wasn't for her I might go crazy. I took her to my spot where I look at the stars. She looked so beautiful.  
  
1.Mom, Dad, Granny  
  
2.Goddard  
  
3.My friends  
  
4.My lab (inventions)  
  
5.Cindy?  
  
She almost wanted to cry. The rest of the pages she could find where soaked, she couldn't read any more. She gently placed his journal down on her nightstand. She felt her eyes becoming heavy. She felt dizzy, her eyes shut. And she was unconscious.  
  
***Part 18- Sleeping Beauty***  
  
Cindy laid sleeping in her hospital bed as Jimmy sat in a chair beside her. He was twiddling his thumbs nervously. He looked to Cindy, who was lying unconsciously, taking slow, deep breaths. Her long blonde hair was unbrushed and falling out of it's loose pony tail, it had a gentle wave to it if it dried naturally, and there were some stitches on her skull where her cut had been. Her pale skin looked smooth and beautiful. She was asleep. Her parents had found her lying unconscious in her room when they got home, they rushed her to the hospital. They say they got her there just in time. Jimmy heard this news and had an unbelievable sense of worry overtake him. It was about eleven thirty at night, but he sat wide awake at her bedside, making frequent glances at her peaceful slumbering self. Her parents were worried sick that she had done something like try to hurt herself purposely, but they couldn't know for sure until she woke up. Jimmy thought of that too, and his stomach churned because of it.  
  
When Jimmy had heard she was in his hospital, and she was unconscious, he automatically felt sorry for being harsh on her when she wouldn't take him home, he felt himself becoming deeply concerned with her condition. He sat silently, waiting for the moment her green eyes would flutter open, and the flush peachiness of her cheeks would return and she'd look lively again. He watched her inhale, and exhale. He made sure every breath was there. He looked to the hallway, that was lit up with nurses walking by every few minutes and he turned his chair so his back was to the open door. He put his hands ever so gently on the side of her bed.  
  
"Cindy....please be okay." He recognized every beep made by the heart monitor. He watched her pulse read on the machine. He looked around the room. He cleared his throat. She laid silent. He looked around once more. He had an undeniable temptation to kiss her. She was so peaceful just lying there, her lips so tender and pale. He stood up from his chair and leaned over her. He positioned himself, and brought himself closer.  
  
He started to close his eyes and lean inwards when she made a small noise and her eyes started to open up, he moved back quickly, so she would not realize what he was about to do. He shook his head, "What was I thinking?" he thought himself crazy. "Must be the hormones" he thought. He felt a sudden relief when he watched her awaken, he thought to call the doctor to tell her, but then figured he'd better find out the scoop for himself first.  
  
She crunched her eyes up and brought her hand to her head. She groaned. "Owww..my head..." She opened her eyes again, her vision was blurry and she blinked a few times to clear it up. "Neutron?" she asked wearily. "Wha..where a I?" she sat up gingerly, and looked around the room, the bright lights where hurting her just opened eyes. She looked back to Jimmy who had a frown on. She furrowed her brow.  
  
"You are in the hospital,...Vortex" he informed "Your parents found you lying unconscious in your room when they got home..there was a gash on your head, you lost a lot of blood, and there are cuts on your hands and knees..what the hell did you do?" He asked like a reprimand.  
  
She furrowed her eye brows again. "That is no way to thank me for what I did" she said, frowning herself.  
  
"What did you do?" "Why where you hurt?" "Did you do it yourself?" "Tell me what happened, I want to know" he asked  
  
She was about to say something negative to him for sounding like an angry father, but then she noticed concern in his eyes. She sighed. "Don't get mad at me if I tell you" she said  
  
"It depends on what you did" "How did you get hurt?"  
  
"Promise me you won't get angry?"  
  
"Tell me Cindy" he had a warning tone  
  
She sighed. "I snuck into your lab.." She confessed.  
  
"You what?" He asked, slightly confused. "Why?" He frowned again. "Are you telling me the truth?"  
  
She had forgotten some of what happened, but then it all came back to her.  
  
"Yes! I am telling you the truth..I snuck into you lab and I copied all your research files on leukemia onto a disk.it's at my house.I got hurt because your system was going through a meltdown..the electricity went out and it was raining.the place was pitch black and it started to flood, I bent down to find some matches and the when I stood up I banged my head on something sharp and started to bleed.VOX thought my voice was you.so I was able to do it.I only had five minutes, so I was in kind of a rush.and then all the wires and the water from the sprinklers and the fire...and then I went back to my house and I washed off.I thought the cut on my head was nothing..but I guess not.I must have passed out right there in my room.I found your j-...um..I mean, you lab is wrecked terribly..I'm sorry.." She sputtered out in a jumbled out phrase. "There happy?" she said  
  
He shook his head. He was barely able to make out anything she said. "Wait a second...I heard files.and lab..and meltdown in there.wait.." His eyes grew wide. "You didn't say you got my research files did you? Before the computer crashed?"  
  
She nodded her head.  
  
"Cindy!" He smiled huge. "Thank you!" He stood up from his chair. "That was the only thing that mattered to me in my lab..I didn't need the test tubes.I just needed my research, and you got it! You got it before it was deleted forever!" "Thank you! Thank you, thank you" He shook his head happily. "I thought I was going to have to start over..I thought it was all over"  
  
She smiled and again rubbed the stitched patch on her head. "I must look like Frankenstein"  
  
"Hey" he chuckled. "Look who your talking to" She giggled. "Wait...you..did that for me?" he paused. "You could have gotten yourself killed" he said realizing what a terrible tragedy that would have been.  
  
"Well..I had to do something."  
  
"Are you gonna tell your parents about my lab?"  
  
"No..I'm gonna make something up"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"When am I gonna be outta here?" she asked him.  
  
"Probably tomorrow..you lucky girl" "Or as soon as you come up with a good enough story to convince the doctors and your parents you weren't trying to commit suicide" She smiled at him.  
  
"I'm tired.I want to go back to sleep" she said as she laid back down into her bed.  
  
"Okay" he got up and walked to the doorway. "And you know Cindy" she looked at him. "I was really worried there for a minute..about you." He blushed, but she was too tired to notice.  
  
"Did you pray?" she asked hopefully  
  
He shook his head. "Vortex, there is no God.he wouldn't have let that happen to you" "I told you once.and I'll tell you again" She made a light sigh and closed her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning..." He shut off her light. "I hope" he added under his breath and he walked away.  
  
She heard what he said last and it bothered her. What did he mean? Did he mean, I hope to see you before you go home? Or, something else? This questioned bothered her until, in a short while, her aching head, and tiredness helped her drift back into unconsciousness.  
  
Morning came soon and Cindy was discharged from the hospital. She got up from her bed while the nurse waited for her to leave, so she could clean the room. Cindy walked out into the hallway, and towards the Lobby where she was told her parents where waiting for her. She stopped suddenly remembering that she wanted to say hello to Jimmy before she left.  
  
She turned around and walked towards the elevator which took her up to his floor, by now, she knew her way to his room like the back of her hand. She walked by the hall and noticed her reflection walking along side her in the long window that outfitted that area of the hospital. It was so bright she had to squint. She stopped to see the familiar face and frowned as she saw her messy hair and noticed that she was wearing the same outfit she was wearing the day before.  
  
She tried to play with her hair, but came to no avail and gave up. She looked down through the window and saw the parking lot, it was 7 stories down, and locked in on three sides by the hospital walls. She started to walk towards his room again, but stopped again after she had passed an open doorway and thought, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. She walked backwards and then stopped in the doorway, being careful to be quiet, and shocked at what she saw.  
  
Jimmy was lying on a hospital bed, with his shirt off, he was awake and there was a big tube inserted under his breast bone. He looked like he was cringing in pain as doctors bombarded him with injections. He loosened up his tense muscles and opened his eyes weakly, his face showed the pain he was suffering. His weary blue eyes came to cross the doorway and see her.  
  
"Vortex" he nodded. His voice was tired and pain filled. The doctors looked over their shoulders and saw her and then quickly shut the door in her face.  
  
She turned and went back down to the Lobby, she was feeling terrible. She felt sick, not ill, but sick. She felt sick for Jimmy, and for what he had to put up with, she was finally beginning to realize, when she saw that pain filled expression on his face, what it really must be like, to go through everything he so quietly was putting up with. She couldn't believe he never once complained to her about what happened to him at the hospital. He never complained. She sighed, feeling helpless again and got into her car and shut the door. Her father started driving home.  
  
When she got home, she went up to her room and got changed, she showered and then went outside. She told her mother she was going out and headed downtown. When she got there she spied Libby and Sheen sitting on a bench. They were kissing. She wanted to go smack them, but yet she didn't. Suddenly she felt lonely, like Libby was no longer hers. She couldn't blame her, after all, she had been kind of distant for the past...year. Libby had changed, she pondered. She walked past them both, leaving them at peace. Maybe it was her who had changed. She wondered. She felt so helpless, there was nothing, absolutely nothing she could do to help Jimmy. And why did she want to help him in the first place? What was wrong with her? She was so confused. But she knew things would turn out alright, she had a feeling, she got the files, and was going to be okay. She smiled and continued to walk.  
  
***Part 19-Realizations***  
  
Jimmy rubbed his chest as he was wheeled back into his hospital room. Chemotherapy always made him tired. He fell asleep. He awoke in the morning and finally got to return home after another long stay at the hospital. He walked up to his room and turned on his computer. He had some unread e- mail. It was all really junk until he came to one. It was from Cindy. He clicked on it.  
  
Jimmy, I hope you feel better. We need to talk. ~Cindy  
  
Was all it said. He had taken a look at his destroyed lab earlier and come to the conclusion that, with about a year's hard work, he could have everything up and running again. He closed the windows on his computer and laid down on his bed.  
  
But he had more on his mind than an e-mail from Cindy, and even his lab. While he was at the hospital he had received some crushing news. His Chemotherapy was no longer reacting with his cancer. He was going to die. Although he tried to find a cure, he had failed. His time left on earth was expected at two months. He was going to be gone forever, in less than 65 days. He closed his eyes. And he started to cry.  
  
His door was shut. He didn't want his mother or father to hear him. They had went out together, because he had asked to be left alone. He laid flat on his bed and he kept crying. The tears rolled off his face and onto the comforter. This was the first time he had cried since his talk with Cindy in the hospital more than a year ago.  
  
The sky had shifted into it's afternoon faze and he was still lying on his bed. He sat up when the sun shone into his eyes. He wiped them. And he sniffed.  
  
He looked around his room longingly. Where was he going? What was going to happen to him? He was scared. He was afraid. He was frightened. He was never going to wake up to his room again. He stood up from his bed and walked to his bureau to look into the mirror. He sniffed again at his pathetic reflection. He thought about the disks Cindy had saved for him. He would have to pass those along to someone who could continue his work.  
  
He thought about his list of goals. He hadn't even achieved one he had set down for himself. He thought about his parents and how much he was going to miss them. He thought about Carl, his best friend in all the world, the one who would send him cookies while he was in the hospital, and who was always there when Jimmy needed to call. He thought about Sheen, poor, twisted, demented Sheen. And how much he was going to miss laughing at the stupid things he did.  
  
He thought how he was going to miss laughing. And smiling. And opening his eyes to the new morning, and eating, and drinking, and changing his clothes, and walking, and breathing and brushing his teeth and taking showers and jumping, and playing.  
  
But then he suddenly stopped. What about Cindy? Was he going to miss her? He started to cry again. Yes. Yes he was. Cindy was the one who had stuck by him during this terrible time. He remembered how she had warned him to stop his blood testing, she told him he would cut his life shorter. Oh how he wished he had listened to her. He thought about her beautiful face. And her angelic wit. He thought of the day she had first realized that he had his disease, and he remembered she had cried. Well, not so much cried, but it was a tear, a tear that he had felt was special. He remembered how she would listen to him, and all his research talk, and how she was the one to tell him about his lab, and how she was the one that had helped him keep hope.  
  
"I will not surrender" he repeated to himself. He was not going to lose hope. Not until the very last second, he would not give up, he would not lose hope. He opened a new file on his computer, and started typing away.  
  
Cindy was at her dinner table, her mother had talked to Judy who was sobbing telling her about Jimmy's new 'time limit'. After she had calmed down, Rhonda thought it would be best to tell Cindy, since she and Judy had noticed that Cindy had become somewhat attached to Jimmy. Judy was thankful to her, and was still in the Vortex's house, since Hugh went out to drink. She sat inside their living room crying. Cindy waited in the dining room for her mother.  
  
Rhonda walked in.  
  
"Cindy dear" She sat down next to her.  
  
"Mom" She made a perplexed face. "Why is Mrs. Neutron here?"  
  
Rhonda's face was heavy with sorrow. She sighed. "Cindy, Jimmy only had two months left to live" Her voice cracked and she even got a tear in her eye, she tried to make it vanish, she needed to be strong for Cindy now.  
  
"...what?" She asked quietly, not believing it. "But..the doctors said he had a few more years.that's what they said .that's what he told-" Rhonda shook her head from side to side sadly.  
  
"I'm sorry Cindy, the chemo is no longer working for him..that's the way it is" her mother said sympathetically.  
  
"But...but.." Cindy swallowed hard and then closed her eyes, after she opened them she said, "I understand"  
  
Her mother looked mildly shocked. "You're sure your okay?" Cindy nodded. "You don't want to talk about it?"  
  
"No" Cindy stood up from the table, she could hear the crying from Judy who was in the living room. "May I go out?" she asked and then without waiting for the answer she took off out the front door.  
  
She ran down the street, and she kept running, she could feel the wind whip across her face, and the friction against her shoes. She ran until her feet burnt from fatigue. The sky turned dark as she ran. She was out of breath, she stopped eventually after she tried to slow down, she hacked and coughed a bit until she caught her breath. It was dark, when she realized where she was. She found she was in the town square, though, since it was dark, it was desolate. She sat down right where she was, which was on a grassy island that had some trees on it and a park bench. The road was on both sides of her, but the town square was deserted, she was all alone.  
  
She leaned against the side of the bench and pulled at a flower beside her.  
  
She had a surge of adrenaline, so she got up again and started to run. She kept running and running until she had to stop to regain knowledge of where her running had led her. She was still in Retroville, and she looked about and saw a mini mall and a church. She knew where she was, and she ran into the church. It was dark and very quiet inside, but she burst through the doors. She ran up to the front of all the seats and sat in the first pew.  
  
She looked up at the stained glass portrait of the holy manger scene that was displayed high on the churches walls, above the alter.  
  
An old nun apparently heard her run in and walked out from the room she was in. She noticed the distress on Cindy's face and walked closer, the faint light of the candles made the church seem heavenly.  
  
"Are you alright dear?"  
  
This voice startled Cindy and she quickly looked to see who was there. She gave a small relieved sigh when she noticed the nun and nodded. The nun walked closer to her and stood outside the pew Cindy was in. Cindy had with glass eyes when she looked to the nun.  
  
"Can God do me a favor?" she whimpered desperately. "I need a miracle" she sniffed  
  
"What kind of miracle?"  
  
"My.friend..he's..dying, and I.I need God to make him be okay.please, I promise I won't ever ask for another thing as long as I live" "I need God to save him" She pleaded.  
  
The old kindly nun looked empathetic. "You know God doesn't work that way"  
  
"I know.I know.."she began to cry very gently. "But I need to try" "It's the only thing I can do" she began to cry harder. "Why do things like this happen? It's not fair."  
  
"God works in mysterious ways..everything happens for a reason dear"  
  
"What could possibly be the reason for something as terrible as this?" She asked still letting tears stream down her cheeks. "This isn't right.." Her sobbing grew and became louder, she practically collapsed into the pew and the nun helped her sit up and held her gently while she cried.  
  
After Cindy had calmed down she turned to the nun.  
  
"I'm sorry sister" She sniffed. "I'm just a little shaken up that's all" Cindy sat up by herself and the nun smiled gently.  
  
"It's alright dear, I know" "Just remember, we can't always understand things God does, and it's hard and almost impossible to even come close to a sensible answer, and it's silly to try" "So all you can do is have faith, and trust that the right thing is always going to happen" She said.  
  
"But..what if what's right..is really wrong?" she sniffed. The nun looked sympathetic again. ".. I just wish there was something...anything I could do to help him" "It's like he's a part of me" hearing herself say those words startled her. "And now he's dying and there is nothing I can do about it" "I'm never going to see him again....I'll miss him so much" she started to cry again.  
  
"Does this boy know you feel this way?" she questioned  
  
"I.....no, no I don't think so" she sniffed.  
  
"Well, Maybe the best thing to do right now, is to tell him the way your feeling"  
  
"T-tell him?" she asked suddenly afraid.  
  
"Yes, I think maybe, that it would help both of you"  
  
Cindy swallowed as she was thinking. "Maybe your right" She said unsurely. She stood up. "Thank you" and she walked out. She walked the silent sidewalk, alone, in the dark. She thought about herself, which may be very selfish, but she thought of how she had changed. She thought about how Jimmy had changed her, she contemplated about how she let herself turn into this quieter Cindy , how she had pushed Libby away in order to get closer to Jimmy instead. She walked by the gates to Fairfax Park and made a weak sweet smile as she recalled the numerous days she walked there with Jimmy.  
  
She walked through the ironclad gate that bared the name of the park in tall brass letters across the top. In the dark the park's white concrete path seemed gray. She strode ahead silently, her mind was occupied and she needed to go someplace to think. She scuffed her feet as she walked along. Looking to the side momentarily, she saw a familiar path inside the woods.  
  
"Jimmy's spot." she said to herself quietly, remembering the night he took her to look at the stars. That had been a bittersweet memory of hers. She had felt alive and happy, maybe it was just being with him all alone that gave her that funny sensation. The way his gentle, velvety voice seemed to penetrate the boundaries between them when he talked. It was so sweet, that it was a memory she tried to savor, a second in time she enjoyed looking back on. She had almost gotten her first kiss, but she had backed off. She was trying to prevent a feeling she had from growing stronger and deeper, but it hadn't worked.  
  
She headed towards the brush and followed along the path she easily minded. When she came to the end of the woods, she emerged into the grassy area, and happy she didn't get lost, she brushed herself off and started walking up the steep hill. Although, she could already see the enchanting view of the stars from where she was, the view was better on top of the rise.  
  
She climbed, and as she was nearing the top she noticed a figure sitting in the grass on the plateau of the hill, a little bit in front of her. She stopped, not wanting to be seen. Then she noticed a familiar baseball cap, and even in the dark of the night she could recognize his figure. She stayed quiet so he wouldn't hear her and walked a little bit closer, she could hear him talking.  
  
"Um....I've never done this before, so I don't exactly know how.but I'm gonna try." His voice was nervous and formal. ".um..God..this is uh..Jimmy Neutron speaking.and um...if your actually up there, than you know my condition." He sighed and smiled a bit. "But, I just want to say thank you for the best sixteen years of life this boy genius could ever ask for" He said quietly while looking up into the endless projection of stars.  
  
Cindy couldn't believe what she was hearing, Jimmy was saying thank you? He was praying? She listened in again.  
  
"And uh......well, I just want to ask you to make sure that my mom turns out okay.and my dad.I want them to still be able to smile and be happy." He didn't looked so much sad, he looked excepting. "And Carl and Sheen.my two best friends, well, just make sure they turn out okay, afterall, they both have their whole lives ahead of them to live.." He again, let out a small smile. "And well.that's it heh.oh, say hi to Goddard for me will yah? ..heh thanks.." He added, his smile faded out.  
  
"Oh and one more thing, this is " he looked around and got quieter. "For Cindy.I just would like for you to make sure she has a nice life, she's helped me a lot" He wasn't blushing, he felt so empty right now, like he had so many things to do, and there wasn't near enough time, which was true. He wanted to do so many things that he hadn't done. He regretted so much.  
  
Cindy almost started to cry again. He didn't even ask once to be able to live. He didn't beg or plead, all he did was ask for good things for other people. And for her, he even had wanted something nice for her, she couldn't take this torment. "Mr. Neutron was wrong...he really is brave" she watched him there all alone, just looking at the stars.  
  
***Part 20- Some Unexpected Advice***  
  
Jimmy got up, he thought he noticed a scurrying figure in the grass, but now wasn't really the time for him to care. He walked back into the park.  
  
"Why did I have to get leukemia?" He asked himself as he tread along. "Argh! I have so many things I need to do..that I wish I could do" His voice trailed off. He didn't want to go home that night. All it would be, is a night of tear shed and memories. He didn't want to go through that again. He boarded a bus that had stopped beside him after he had gotten out of the park and back out onto the street.  
  
"I..uh..thought the buses didn't run this late?" He queried of the bus driver while he was boarding.  
  
"This is my last run kid, where you goin?"  
  
"Retroville Bay" The bus driver nodded and shut the doors. Other than Jimmy and the bus driver, the only other person on the vehicle was another man, he was kind of creepy looking so Jimmy stayed away from him. He sat down in the back of the bus and scooted over to the window. Once the bus had stopped, Jimmy exited.  
  
"Have a nice night kid" The driver said as he left. Jimmy nodded and made a small wave as the bus drove off, and he was derelict by the ocean side. The soft sound of the waves lapping against the shore at night was calming. He walked towards the railing that stood between the beach and the walkway. He leaned onto it and looked out into the ocean. He rubbed his shoulders because the breeze was cold, and looked to his right and saw a bench and walked towards it.  
  
When he got closer he noticed a sinister looking figure already occupying the end farthest to the right. He slowed his walk down, the shape was more small than large and was wrapped in, what appeared to be a black blanket. It was up and covering the persons head, and bundled tightly around their body to block out the cool zip.  
  
"Great.it's the grim reaper" Jimmy said sarcastically joyful to himself. He was too curious to back away, like his logical conscience was telling him to. There were red alarm lights flashing in his head telling him not to go farther, but he had to know what it was that was there. After all, he had nothing to lose.  
  
He was careful to be very quiet and came up close to the bench.  
  
"Excuse me?" "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked, his voice was a sudden change from the sound of the waves, it was loud in the night. The cloak jolted back and stood up. In the black of the night you still couldn't make out the persons face.  
  
"Stay away from me!"  
  
The voice sounded female. And it sounded familiar.  
  
"Wait wait..I'm not trying to hurt you" He said to assure her.  
  
"Yah sure" She said and took another step backwards. "Just stay away from me you whack-job"  
  
"Er.Miss, Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes I'm fine..leave me alone.." She took another step back and her blanket fell from her head, revealing someone's outline against the moonlit sky,that Jimmy knew very well.  
  
"Betty?" he asked unsure of whether or not he should ask.  
  
From what you could see of her face she looked stunned.  
  
"Betty Quinlin?" he asked again.  
  
"H-how do you know my name?" she asked startled.  
  
"It's me, Jimmy Neutron" "You don't.......remember me?" he asked suddenly feeling a bit rejected.  
  
"Jimmy?" she asked skeptically and walked a few steps closer. "Take off that hat.and step into the light"  
  
He sighed, feeling nervous about taking his hat off, but he slowly pulled it off and stepped into a place where the light was more abundant.  
  
Her mouth opened a little, for she was shocked at his appearance.  
  
"You look.so...so." She searched for a word. "Different" She said.  
  
"Yah" He stepped back into the dark and replaced his hat. "I know" He walked back to the bench. "Mind if I sit now?"  
  
She nodded no and sat down next to him, she wrapped the blanket around herself again, but left her head out of the bundle. She was shorter than Jimmy, he was surprised, yet happy when he had to look down to her, remembering how she had towered over him when they were younger. But she was still tall.  
  
"So why are you out here?" she asked looking to him slightly. He was looking out to sea. They were the only two out there, everyone else was at home, it was dark, and quiet except for the ocean. Her voice was like buttermilk in the night, it was so soft and sweet. Her beauteous dusky brown hair looked bewitching, and her chocolate brown eyes glowed in the night.  
  
He looked to her. "I should be asking you the same question"  
  
She looked downwards for a moment. "I'm here to think.I guess" And she looked back up.  
  
"Same here"  
  
"What are you thinking about?" she asked. Jimmy thought this was invading his personal thoughts slightly, but answered her.  
  
"About life.and what it's worth..and why we're here" "And why.." He paused, not sure if he wanted to tell her this. "And why I'm going and others aren't...and the things I'll miss.which is everything" He confessed, faintly embarrassed.  
  
"Wow" she laughed lightly. "That's a lot to think about" She tried to be a bit comical. He was a bit confused at her light, pressure easing laugh, this wasn't funny to him. He nodded at her.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" He asked after a few moments had gone by.  
  
She took a moment to think, then said, "I'm thinking about why. I wasn't born someplace else" She confessed a little ashamed. He turned towards her.  
  
"Huh? Why would you think about that?" He asked.  
  
"Because of this" She opened the blanket up, she was still wearing her pink dress with the flower, but she reached up to one of the straps and slid it down to reveal her shoulder. Jimmy was becoming a tiny bit uncomfortable. When she did that, she revealed an ugly cut that seemed to be pretty deep. Jimmy's eyes narrowed a bit in concern.  
  
"Where did you get that?" He asked as he pulled her closer to inspect it.  
  
"........my father..he is ...abusive.." She said after hesitation. Jimmy looked in her eyes with his mouth open, shocked at what he heard. He looked back to her cut, and gently moved his fingers around it, trying to speculate how deep it was. "And all the girls at school think I have the perfect life..hah" She snorted. "Ow!" she flinched away from him and pulled the sleeve back up.  
  
"Sorry..." "But it doesn't look too deep" He said brushing his hands off. "You need to tell somebody about your father" "That isn't right.you could get seriously hurt one day.you and your mother.I don't know if you have any siblings, but it's dangerous for you two anyways" He stated authoritatively.  
  
"I know.." She sighed. "Tomorrow I will, I promise" He nodded again and then looked back into the ocean. "And Jimmy" She added and he looked to her again.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I don't have a mother"  
  
"..you don't?" "I'm sorry I thought.that..heh." He said feeling abashment.  
  
"No no.it's alright.that is really the only reason I haven't told about my father yet..because I didn't want to be an orphan"  
  
"Betty.I'm really sorry..I didn't know"  
  
"I know, it's okay, don't feel bad...I'll probably end up living with an aunt or uncle.."  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
"How..did.she..uh.."  
  
"Die?..she died from leukemia Jimmy" She said  
  
"She.did?" He asked surprised at the sudden connection he felt with her, this girl he hadn't talked to in probably a year.  
  
Betty nodded. "She told me to remember.as long as there is life, there is hope" "I'm sorry I never came to visit you..I just didn't want to lose.uh..well, I didn't want lose someone else"  
  
Jimmy looked back out towards the ocean.  
  
"Jimmy, are you scared?" She asked.  
  
"Scared as hell" He answered without looking at her.  
  
"There is always a chance you know..."  
  
"That what? I'll survive? Yah right..." He said hopelessly and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Did you try everything? Chemo.bone marrow transplant."  
  
"Wait.bone marrow transplant? We never tried that before" He said feeling a sudden urge of hope, a small glimmering chance that he might be able to live. "I have to tell my parents that! I might have a chance Betty! I might have a chance" He smiled at her after he stood up. He sat back down feeling stupid. "I'll tell them in the morning.they can't do anything in the middle of the night right?" She shrugged.  
  
"I wouldn't know really" She opened up the blanket and wrapped it around both of them. He felt uncomfortable again, but took pleasure in the warmth the heavy blanket supplied.  
  
"But.what if it doesn't work?" He asked, like she would know the answer.  
  
"As long as there is hope, there is life" She said repeating the words of her mother again. She scooted closer to him. She looked up into his eyes and he looked back down into hers. His ocean blue eyes twinkled as he looked into her sparkling mocha springs. They both started moving closer to each other, their eyes closing, lips puckering.  
  
"Wait!" Jimmy said and moved back quickly coming to his senses.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
  
"I can't kiss you.."  
  
".I understand" "What, you don't like me anymore?" She teased.  
  
"No.I...can't.because I'm in love." He swallowed.  
  
"In love?"  
  
"Yah.I'm in love.with... Cindy" He said for the first time letting his feelings formulate into words.  
  
"Than what in the world are you waitin' for?" "Go tell her!" She smiled as he got up and started walking back towards his home. "Bye Jimmy!" She called after him and he waved. "As long as there is life.there is hope" She said as she watched him disappear into the night time horizon.  
  
"As long as there is life.there is hope" He repeated to himself. "I will not surrender"  
  
***Part 21- Life is Always Worth Living***  
  
The morning came and the birds never failed to sing their morning song. Jimmy had gotten into his house at around two in the morning and was asleep on his bed, his rocket ship alarm clock buzzed and Jimmy shot up in bed, making himself dizzy. "Mom Dad!! Mom Dad!!! MOM!!!" He got out of his bed and ran down the stairs. "DAD!!!! Mom!!!!!" He ran around his house searching for his parents. "MOM DAD!!!!!!!!" He ran in and out of the kitchen and family room, and ran into the dining room and back upstairs into their room. They were no place to be found, he ran back downstairs into his family room. They both burst in the doors.  
  
"Jimmy is everything okay?!" His mother ran up to him.  
  
"Jimbo you alright son?" Hugh said coming up behind him.  
  
"Yes yes!" He said pushing his mother's hands off him.  
  
"Than why where you yelling?" Hugh asked.  
  
"I was looking for you" "Where were you?" He asked.  
  
"We were outside, why were you looking for us, what do you need?" She asked desperate at her son's wishes.  
  
"Three words" He smiled. "Bone. Marrow. Transplant."  
  
They both looked puzzled and he sighed. "Mom, Dad, if I get a bone marrow transplant than I might be able to survive" He said anticipating their excitement. When it didn't come he was confused. "Did you two not hear me? I will Be able to Live. Hello??????" They both looked to the floor.  
  
"Jimmy we should have told you before..so you wouldn't get your hopes up." She looked guilty, he felt that little shimmer of hope he had get stepped on and put out. "But.your father and I had bone marrow samples taken.they don't match with yours.and there are no donors available." She confessed.  
  
"What?" He sank into the couch. He placed his hands over his face.  
  
"Jim, we thought of the bone marrow before son.we didn't want you to feel bad if you knew that wasn't an option." Hugh said.  
  
"Just, Leave. Me. Alone." He said feeling defeated beneath his hands. That was his last chance. They both left the house again.  
  
~~~  
  
"Hi Mrs. Neutron is Jimmy home?" Cindy asked after she had seen Judy and Hugh in the back yard and walked around to ask her.  
  
"Yes dear, but, ..I don't think he wants any visitors right now.maybe you should just leave him alone" She said trying not to sound rude.  
  
"Why not? Is something else wrong?" she asked.  
  
Judy gave up, there was no reason not to tell her what happened, so she did.  
  
"Jimmy is upset dear because he thought a bone marrow transplant was the answer to his problems, and well, we just told him that Mr.Neutron and I already have gotten tests and our bone marrow does not match with his, and there are no other donors." Cindy's face fell again.  
  
"Oh.." she answered. She turned and walked to her house. She saw her own mother in the kitchen. "Mom."  
  
"Yes darling?"  
  
"Jimmy is going to die soon"  
  
"I know, honey"  
  
"He wanted a bone marrow transplant..but..there are no donors..to.." The idea wheel in her head started churning. "To.match.his.hey wait a second! Mom maybe I match Jimmy's bone marrow!"  
  
"Oh, I doubt it Cindy"  
  
"But Mom..maybe I do.maybe ...maybe I could save him!" A smile grew on her face.  
  
Her mother arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Please mom.I have to try.please" Her eyes were pleading.  
  
"Cindy, I'll take you to the hospital to get the test..because I know this means a lot to you...but if it doesn't match, and it probably won't.well, I don't want you to expect anything" She said.  
  
"Okay!" Cindy grabbed her coat and had run out into the car. She didn't care what her mother said, there was a chance that he'd live, and that's all that mattered to her. So, that very second her and her mother set out to the hospital. And later that day they returned. Cindy hopped out of the car. She saw Jimmy walking down the street and told her mother she'd be home soon. She ran to catch up to him.  
  
"Hey! Wait up Jimmy" He heard her voice and slowed down so she could walk beside him. "Jimmy I-" He interrupted.  
  
"No wait Cindy..there is something I have to tell you, and I have to do it right now" He stopped walking and so did she, he stood under a large elm tree and pulled her near.  
  
"I have to tell you something too" She said  
  
"No let me go first"  
  
"But I-" He shushed her.  
  
"This is really important"  
  
"But Jimmy"  
  
"No no..okay." He took a deep breath while she looked around impatiently. "Cindy..first I didn't realize what it was.but.last night.for the first time in my life..I admitted to myself something that I found was so true, I couldn't ever deny it.and I just wanted to tell you.no matter what happens to me.that with all my heart..right now.and for as long as I can remember.I l-"  
  
Cindy couldn't hold it in anymore "I match your bone marrow!!" She piped.  
  
".What?" He asked confused she interrupted him.  
  
"Your bone marrow I match it!!" She squealed with a huge smile. She dug in her pocket and pulled out the doctor's order that he come into the hospital that night and have the operation done. His eyes grew wide.  
  
He reached for the piece of paper and unfolded it, he stared down at it for a long while and didn't say anything.  
  
Cindy's smile began to disappear. "Jimmy.are you okay?" She looked at him more closely. He had tears in his eyes and a few had escaped. She smiled a warm smile. "Oh Jimmy." She wrapped her arms around him for a hug. He hugged her back. As they rocked back and forth he whispered, "Thank you so much Cindy" inside her ear.  
  
His parents were overjoyed themselves but were warned when they got to the hospital that since they had waited so long, the transplant had a very low rate of achievement, which meant the percentage of Jimmy surviving because of the transplant, was very low. But still, they were overjoyed any ways. Jimmy was beaming with hope. Cindy's mother and father were a bit worried about their daughter. They were all inside the waiting room.  
  
"Now, your sure you want to go through with this Cindy?" Her mother asked, unsure herself.  
  
Cindy was starting to get very nervous. "Um.." She looked over to Jimmy, who was across the room, and he was smiling. For the first time in ages she saw him smiling, a real happy smile. She looked to his parents who for once, were alive with hope. "Um..Yes I'm sure" Her voice was nervous.  
  
Cindy was thinking about something else too, 'What was Jimmy going to say to me?' she wondered. She thought she knew the answer and smiled herself, but she wasn't really listening to him at all, because of her own news, so she wasn't quiet sure.  
  
"Ms.Vortex we need to take you to be anesthetized now" Cindy sat up, she could feel herself shaking. This was scary! She had never done anything like this before.  
  
Right before she left the room, she looked at Jimmy who smiled at her and mouthed the word 'Thanks'. She followed the doctor down the hall and went into a room. The procedure would take about two hours, it involves taking bone marrow from the back of the pelvis, and requires a lot of poking and prodding.  
  
"Don't worry Cindy" "Your doing a very miraculous thing for Jimmy" The doctor smiled at her. Which she thought funny, she had never seen a doctor smile, they were always so serious. "You will be under general anesthetic" "You'll be out of here soon" He smiled again. She made a nervous smile back and was handed an ugly hospital robe, that she looked at like it was the plague.  
  
The operation was a success. Cindy's parents where relieved and Judy and Hugh were so grateful towards here, they sent dozens of flowers to her room.  
  
Jimmy laid in his bed. He was watching the bone marrow, which looked like blood, flow through a venous catheter into his arm. "Come new blood..make me better" Jimmy sat there shaking, he was so nervous. If this was a total flop, which was his biggest fear, than his body would reject Cindy's bone marrow and he would die very quickly. He also feared a rejection reaction. He was receiving his bone marrow through transfusion.  
  
A few hours later Cindy walked into the room. She was the only person he'd allow to enter.  
  
"Hey, how are you feeling?" She had a gingerly smile on.  
  
"Cindy you have no idea how much this means to me" "You may have saved my life" He said very seriously.  
  
"It's okay..it's not like you haven't done it for me.and the rest of Retroville before.even if it was your fault in the first place" She smirked. "You would have done the same for me though"  
  
"I don't know that" He answered. "I may not have.but you did.you stayed with me this whole time.thank you so much..I don't know if I would have done that for anyone "  
  
She just looked at him again and made another small smile. "I've been skipping school" She confessed. "I'm in trouble .heh.and it's all because of me spending time with you Neutron" She grinned.  
  
"Sit down" He offered her the chair next to his bed..  
  
"No thanks.uh..I'd rather stand" As she rubbed her butt gently.  
  
He laughed. "How do you feel?"  
  
"Like I just fell down 10 flights of stairs and landed on my butt"  
  
"So.did you get detention? For skipping school?" he asked.  
  
"Nah..they let me slide" He nodded. They both watch as the last 50 CC's of Cindy's bone marrow dripped into Jimmy's veins. "Jimmy? You were going to say something to me under that tree..what was it?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Come here" He said. She came closer to him and he put one hand around the back of her neck and brought her close to him. He inched foreword and pulled her at the same time. Their lips locked and he gave her the most tender, loving, sweet kiss he could in his position on the bed. When he let go, she backed away from his bed, surprised. He wasn't exactly sure whether or not it was okay to kiss in his condition right then, but he didn't really care. "I was going to tell you that I love you" He said.  
  
It took years to build up that courage, that courage he had needed to confess to her the one true fact he's always known. "From the first second I laid eyes on you Cindy, I knew that I loved you..first it was a little crush.then it got bigger..and I wanted to make it stop when I found out I had my disease..but it only grew more when you spent time with me.and I just have to tell you how I feel.I can't pretend any more.I love you, I love you with every fiber of my being.with every cell, every molecule, every atom." He blinked. "I love you on a subatomic level" He finished.  
  
Cindy couldn't help but giggle. Even when he was trying to be romantic, he was scientific. That was him, that was the Jimmy she knew. That was the Jimmy she loved.  
  
"I love you too Jimmy" She smiled and kneeled next to the bedside and kissed him again, this time putting her all into it. He loved the way she tasted. She slid her tongue into his mouth, it was dry but she didn't mind, and he did the same to her. He reached his hand that wasn't attached to the catheter, over and rubbed her side, up and down. He gave her shivers and she liked it. And she moved her hand up under his hospital robe, and placed it on his bare chest, being careful not to snap any heart monitor wires, she ran it through the newly sprouted chest hairs. He moved his hand up to run it through her hair, it was so soft and silky, he pulled her closer. She broke the kiss when they heard a knock on the door.  
  
"Go a-wayyyyyyy" Jimmy groaned and reached for Cindy to continue.  
  
Cindy giggled and smiled. "Come in" She said and stood up as she saw Judy and Hugh enter. "Bye Jimmy" She smiled and blew him a kiss and then left. Jimmy waved goodbye, and then moved his hands down to cover himself, his lap had become a little too happy to see her, and he didn't want his parents noticing.  
  
After four weeks, Jimmy's new blood began to appear in his veins. His whole life he had been type O blood, but now, until the day he died he would be type B, Cindy's blood type. By the sixth day, all the hair Jimmy had been so happy was growing back, started falling out again, in clumps. On his first few days he needed to be given vitamins and supplements through a tube, and be fed through one also. Nurses had to sterilize everything he came in contact with, the first week or two. He was feeling tired and weak, by the third day most of his strength had returned.  
  
On his seventh week in the room, he was feeling so isolated, he craved news from the outside world. He got visitors, Sheen and Carl came to see him almost every other day, and he enjoyed every visit. Betty even came once. "As long as there is hope there is life" they both repeated together as soon as she saw him lying in the bed. Jimmy was amazed. If Cindy hadn't given him marrow, he would have had only one more week to live. Now, since the doctors had concluded the transfusion was a success, which was a miracle in itself because he had a less than 20% chance, he could live past 50 more healthy years if nothing ever went wrong.  
  
The day he left the hospital for the last time was a monumental time for him. He was discharged. Finally. But was he cured?  
  
Four years after his operation, twenty year old Jimmy walked with Cindy, down a country lane, holding hands and kissing. A gleaming engagement ring rested on Cindy's finger.  
  
"This is like a dream" She said at the beautiful surroundings.  
  
"Remember.when we were younger-" He started, but she looked to him and grinned and he knew that she was already thinking the same thing as he was. The time they had switched bodies.  
  
She pulled him down and kissed him again as they walked. He never had a chronic reaction to Cindy's marrow thankfully. He never would know if he'd have another relapse of leukemia, but, his confidence was building, although he still had worries living deep inside of him. He learned to live life one day at a time and to always stay hopeful. He still worked to find a cure to leukemia in his new and improved laboratory, as well as many other things, as he did before. He and Cindy were both in college. They both spent days in hospitals together, where they would tell stories to children with diseases, and to give them hope.  
  
"WoOf!! BarK!!!"  
  
"Come here Goddess!" Cindy said as she turned around and an almost poodle- like mechanical dog scurried up beside her feet as she turned back around and walked along.  
  
They walked ahead, Cindy rested her head on Jimmy's arm, which the bruises and bumps had disappeared from, she would have rested it on his shoulder, but he was too tall for that. Their hands were laced together with a mechanical dog at their feet.  
  
They turned around to go back to Jimmy's car, that they had parked safely off of the highway so they could take a walk into the country. Their apartment was in the city, and out of the quiet country side. They headed home.  
  
"You know Cindy, one day cancer will be..nothing more than a bad memory"  
  
THE END  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eeekk!! I hope you all liked that ^^ See? A happy ending AND you didn't have to wait for me to post chapters..heehee. It was long, but I tried incorporate a nice message in there someplace ..heehee.um..oh and thank you to Dr. R. Patenaude for writing his research book because it helped me a lot ^^ And ThAnKs to you all who read this whole thing! I love you!! *gives everyone who read it a smiley face sticker and a cookie shaped like Jimmy's little atom trademark* heehee.. Please R/R !! ^^ I'll get cracking on finishing "Last Kiss" now. *~Cindy V.~* 


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